


Fortune's Favor

by SuperPsychoNutcase



Category: DCU, Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is a bad Cat, Batman gets involved, Blitzo is an asshole, Class Salt (ML), Dead Lila Rossi, Evil Lila Rossi, Hippolyta was once a Ladybug, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I need help, I'm so sorry for this, John Constantine Being an Asshole, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila salt, Lila wants Marinette dead, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug is Called MDC, Moxxie has a good heart, Other, Trust in Loona, Wayne Family, Why can't we get along, Wonder Woman gets involved, justice league - Freeform, please stop me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:02:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27449830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperPsychoNutcase/pseuds/SuperPsychoNutcase
Summary: Inspired by “The Liar’s Sin” by Yvette_Kaitou_1412, this thrice crossover tale takes us on a wild ride of death, interdimensional travel, comeuppance, and true love.Lila Rossi met her end, socially and literally, and Marinette can breathe a sigh of relief. However, when has anything ever been easy in her life, for Lila has landed herself in Hell and discovers a small business that could get her vengeance from beyond the grave. And she knows just who to target. John Constantine just wants to be left alone.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne, Millie/Moxxie (Helluva Boss)
Comments: 184
Kudos: 302





	1. The Bell Tolls For Thee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yvette_Kaitou_1412](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yvette_Kaitou_1412/gifts).



> I know I should be working on Release and Midnight Pitstop, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone. Please don't kill me. 
> 
> By the way, those who like Lila probably won't like this story. :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila's lies catch up with her and our story begins.

It all came to a head on April 25th. It was 18:47, late in the evening, when yet another Akuma sprung to life in the City of Lights. Singora Sincera wore what looked to be grecian garbs in black and neon blue. She wielded a set of scales like some kind of entity of justice, one plate to each hand dangling from her clenched fists by deceptively delicate chains. As soon as Marinette heard the woman screaming her arch rival’s name, she knew that this would be no easy fight. None of the Akumas that had anything to do with the pathological liar ever were in her experience. So she set aside a suit commissioned by her best client and transformed to face the newest threat.

Apparently, Singora Sincera was none other than Lila Rossi’s mother. The poor lady was akumatized when she encountered Alya Césaire while out shopping who proceeded to pester the woman with questions about her daughter’s grand adventures. It was amazing how it hadn’t been Alya who had been akumatized. When Ladybug came across the girl, live streaming for her blog behind a mailbox, she had been spitting mad and cursing Lila’s name in every way known to her.

Ladybug didn’t feel even a shred of guilt as she stood aside and watched as Signora Sincera captured Lila in her golden chains. There, in the town plaza and in front of two different cameras, Signora Sincera questioned the little liar about every single tale she had spun since setting foot in Paris. Though Lila tried to lie her way out of trouble, the darker of the two gold plates would sink lower and lower to signify the mendacity of her words. With each lie, the chains grew tighter. It got to the point where Lila had to tell the truth or be strangled to death on live tv. Not that she knew as those filming were crouched behind cover.

So Lila told the truth. She spilled her guts to her mother, each truth spoken loosening the chains. Lila confessed that she didn’t know Ladybug, in fact she hated her for outing her lie about being descended from the Fox Hero in front of her ticket to fame and fortune. She divulged how she didn’t know Jagged Stone or Clara Nightingale or Prince Ali as she just used their names to gain her peers’ adoriation. She admitted to faking her illnesses to get out of doing work and to get free labor and gifts from her stupid classmates. She even revealed that she had been behind Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s expulsion because the “goody-goody saw through my act and refused to bow to me” and only revoked her claims because Adrien promised her a place in his father’s fashion shoots. “Not that I wouldn’t have them already with Gabriel paying me to spy on Adrien.”

And she confessed to working with Hawkmoth.

That particular declaration was enough to kick Ladybug’s spotted butt into gear. With a cue to a stunned speechless Chat Noir, the two heroes converged on Signora Sincera’s position and defeated her easily. All was well and back to normal, and without Ladybug having to cast a Lucky Charm. A first in her three years as Ladybug. Hardly even any damage to boot. Marinette truly felt like the personification of luck.

For Lila, however, any luck she might’ve had before had run dry. She faced her distraught mother without repentance. Elana Rossi had glared tearfully, her brown eyes nearly black with the storm of emotion behind them. “Why? Why Lila? Why would you spread so many lies? About knowing celebrities, about trips to Achu? If that had gotten back to the embassy, I would have been investigated for abuse of embassy money! I could have lost my job! That poor girl you framed and had expelled, all because she wouldn’t believe your lies. And aligning yourself with a terrorist! Have you no shame?”

She did not, in fact, have any shame. Lila had torn into her mother using her consistent absence from home like some kind of excuse for her behavior, painting her mother as the villain of her story. It didn’t stop there. She claimed that all she did was tell people what they wanted to hear and anything they did beyond that was their decision. Her classmates doing her homework and buying her things: their choice. Having them turn on and bully Marinette: they were stupid enough to believe a goody-goody like Dupain-Cheng was capable of any of the bullshit she spread about her. Agreeing to spy on Adrien for Gabriel in exchange for a job as a model: she was far too gorgeous not to be a model and she would be marrying Adrien anyway.

Lila hadn’t noticed that her little rant had drawn attention. By the time she realized just who had heard the truth, her hateful sneer disappeared behind an innocent facade as she tried to lie her way out of trouble. It was all for naught as the wool had finally been pulled from the city’s eyes and they saw the liar for what she was at last. Officer Raincomprix declared that she was under arrest. Lila dropped her duplicitous mask and quite smugly stated that he had no proof, only for Alya and Nadja to come forward with both of their cameras that recorded her spiteful speech. 

The liar, seeing the crowd closing in, tried to make a run for it. She tried to parkour over a parked car. She slipped and crashed head first into the windshield. If she had only settled there, Lila could have walked away with a mere concussion and a few cuts that required stitches. She would have been tried for truancy, defamation of character, and aiding and abetting a terrorist, but she would have been alive. But Lila was not the kind to roll over and give up, and she got up and kept running. 

Only to trip over own feet and bash her head onto the curb. 

There was a posthumous trial against Lila Rossi in which she was found guilty of all charges against her. Elana Rossi was declared innocent of any foreknowledge of her daughter’s deed’s. Elana released her daughter’s body to the government to bury with only the request that Rossi be stricken from her headstone. The girl that had caused Marinette so much heartache was buried in a government plot with a headstone that read only her date of birth and death under the title “Lila”.

Marinette could not bring herself to hate Lila anymore. Now all she felt was pity. Pity at how no one had attended her funeral, how easily her mother disowned her late child. Pity at how, in the end, Lila had nothing left but her name and her outrageous stories to live on as her legacy. To think of someone with such skill at deception could have easily become a great actress, one of the greatest possibly. If only she hadn’t been so focused on what she didn’t have, maybe things could have gone differently.

With a shake of her head, Marinette dispelled those thoughts. There was no use thinking about could haves in life when there were so many issues crowding her own schedule. Jagged Stone had been spreading word of her prowess in design and many A-list clients were coming to call. Paired with her double life as a heroine of Paris, Marinette found most of her time being eaten away by her duties. It also acted as a wonderful excuse to avoid her once friends in Madam Bustier’s homeroom. Though she missed the time she spent amongst friends, their behavior towards Marinette had shaken her completely. They turned on her so easily with only the word of a new girl to support their crusade. All the favors she had done, all the good memories, meant nothing when compared to a few rumors without a scrap of evidence to back them up. She needed time to process and collect herself. Marinette was just happy that she no longer had the liar and apparently Hawkmoth’s minion to deal with in addition to the big baddie himself.

Little did she know that this was only the beginning.

For while Marinette was spending her summer months making a name for herself and hunting down Hawkmoth, Lila was settling into her eternity in Hell after a shroud had dragged her from the mortal realm.

Life in Hell was similar to yet so different from life on “the surface” as it was called. She quickly learned that she was surrounded by sinners far worse than her lies and manipulation. She quickly learned that her innocent act would get her nowhere as this was not a population of the sympathetic and gullible. Lila once barely escaped being a rapist’s next conquest purely by happenstance that some snake demon had a grudge against the guy and was more focused on pumping him full of bullets than dealing with some newbie green skinned, orange haired demon. She hadn’t been particularly happy with her new color palette. Apparently the bile green of her skin tone was meant to signify her greed for fame and fortune alongside her jealousy of her peers that obtained it easily. The dark orange of her hair represented her dishonesty and deceit she used in life. One would think she would be lucky to at least get a pretty pair of eyes to counteract her clashing palette, but instead she was stuck with her boring, dull olive green eyes. In addition, the wounds she died with were incorporated into her demon-like form as slightly darker green freckles and a broken horn. And she had hooved feet much like a goat. Other than that, she kept her relatively human appearance, no wings or tail to speak of whatsoever. Hell was turning out to be a bust.

Lila hated Hell. She hated the smell, she hated the noise, and she hated the looming clock tower that counted down the days to the next “cleansing”. When she had to lower herself to asking her new coworker at the local, really only, newspress, she had learned the horrid truth. Once a year, a group of angels would descend into Hell and kill off as many sinners as they could. With so many on earth damned to a Hell with only so much space, it was a productive way of preventing overpopulation. Everyone but the elite were essentially free game. Get caught in the streets during a cleansing and you could kiss your existence goodbye. 

The Elites, of course, were the royalty of Hell. There was the big man himself, the King and Ruler of this hellscape, and his fallen angels and their descendants. Then there were the demon Overlords too powerful to kill who could afford safe bunkers to hide in during the cleansing. Supposedly, you would be set for eternity if you could worm your way into an Overlord’s good graces enough to gain their protection, but that came with its own drawbacks. Lila listened attentively as she was educated on the structure of Hell.

As she returned to the dump that was her home, Lila pondered on her choices of which there were quite a few. Each path had its own pros and cons and she needed to consider them carefully if she wanted to survive. 

Siding with an Overlord or Elite offered protection and a stable income. Each one would at least keep her in good health so long as she proved useful, and Lila knew she could be very useful. Unfortunately, to say that the Elites were picky about who they let into their social circle was a vast understatement. Sinners like her who were once human no longer had the ability to reproduce which automatically discarded marriage as her ticket into the Elites. A friendship might work, but they only really befriended the rich and powerful. She couldn’t enter their domain as a maid or anything of the like as they had imps to work at the palaces, natural born demons. Lowest of the low, but Hellborn and completely loyal to the King.

Then there are the Overlords, the once humans who clawed a place for themselves in Hell and have killed to maintain their thrones. However, each one upheld the rule of a crime syndicate: death is the only way out. In addition, all the Lords were constantly bickering over territory and such. They had their friends and enemies among them and one had to keep close attention to their friends because to align herself with one was to make an enemy of another. One toe in an enemy territory was considered an act of war. If that wasn’t bad enough, each Overlord was the stuff of nightmares. 

Valentino, Vox, and Velvet were like a three headed snake who ruled from their porn studio. The 3 V’s worked together even when they had disagreements. Aligning with them meant thrice the protective power to hide behind when the Angels came to reap souls. However, siding with them would mean signing away all rights to her body. They owned a porn studio, therefore, she would eventually wind up in someone’s bed whether it be in front of the camera or not. Especially if she sided with Valentino. With him, she would either be fucking him or for him. Probably both. Velvet was rumored to have a nasty temper, switching from energetic and happy to murderous at the snap of her fingers. And Vox, well, Lila was told that he could get very nasty over perceived slights.

Alastor was one of the biggest, of not the most powerful, Overlords in Hell to date. Known as the Radio Demon, he was feared by all and Lila was warned to not trifle with him lest she wished to court her final death. She was told that Alastor suffered neither liars nor fools, and he always knew when someone was lying to him. To enter his lair with expectations of taking advantage of him, well… she wouldn’t get the chance to lie her way out of trouble. Lila wouldn’t admit it, but she nearly got sick when she learned that the Voodoo Prince would broadcast her torture for all of Hell to hear before he decided to end her suffering. Such an entity would keep her safe, but at what cost?

Lila pondered her options as she strolled through the streets of Hell. Her home was now a place of liars and murderers, all of whom would kill her without hesitation and would all throw her under the bus with a knife in her back to save their own skins if not for the fun of it all. Remaining her own entity meant she had to watch her own back, but it also meant she answered to no one. No one but the King, of course. Aligning herself with an Overlord would grant her safety, however, there was no doubt in her mind that she would end up regretting it should she choose the wrong Overlord to follow. As for the Elites, she could just forget about them. Their social circle was too tightly guarded and judgemental for her to worm her way in easily. Right now, she was a low level clerk at a printing press with hopes of getting a journalist job for a gossip column. It would surely take years being so low in the rung as she is, but it’s better than lowering herself to selling her body. Even she was better than that.

Suddenly, a gust of warm wind carried a piece of paper right into her face. Irritated from her impossible choice and hunger, Lila ripped the colored sheet off her face with a hellish growl. She glared at the paper as if it were the reason behind her residency in Hell and perked in interest as she proceeded to read the flier. 

  


_Got unfinished business in the mortal realm? A cheating spouse? A whiny sibling that stole your shit all the time? An asshole coworker that stole credit for your ideas?_

_IMP can kill the bastards for you!_

  


Lila stared at the leaflet as a sinister smile began to form on her face. The image of Marinette Dupain-fucking-Cheng took form in her mind; the girl who refused to bow down and worship her. There were little tv boxes everywhere that allowed demons to view the mortal realm for a few coins. The first time Lila did it, she was expecting to smugly watch her mother grieving over her grave, maybe even see her stupid classmates weeping over her demise. Instead, Lila was infuriated to see what had happened after her death. Her defaced headstone carried only her first name which had been changed to “Liar” thanks to some grudge-bearing assholes. While her mother did spend her nights crying, she had put in a transfer request and was moving back to Italy with a new beau who Lila had vaguely recognized. No one in Bustier’s class cried for her. In fact, they had shrugged it off with a “good riddance” as if they hadn’t spent months treating her word as gospel and pestering her for favors. She always lied her way around them or course, but her old classmates were so incredibly needy.

And Marinette, or fucking Ladybug, was living the god damn dream! 

The little blue eyed, brown-nosing suck up was getting contacted by celebrities from various fields for her creations. Audrey Bourgeois, the fucking Style Queen whom she lied about knowing, had offered her a position as a guest judge on a new fashion show that her daughter would be hosting as a little pet project only to fucking turn it down like she was too good for it! All the while, she got to parade around Paris in that stupid red and black spotted disaster of a suit while the city rained praise upon her as if she were their fucking messiah. 

Marinette was a hero, a rising fashion designer, and was getting everything Lila had ever wanted and then some. It made her sick. 

But if this IMP company could really visit the surface, they could kill the fucking brat and put an end to her happy little bubble. Then she’ll be cast down here into Hell. With Lila. Where she could torment the whiny upstart for the rest of eternity. Afterall, humans were full of secret nasties and no one was completely innocent. Alya had once divulged that Marinette had once left an embarrassing voicemail consisting of her confession to Adrien and stole the phone to delete it, but Lila had decided that she would hold on to that little tidbit for something really nasty. It sucks that she died before she could destroy her reputation, but theft was a sin. 

Silver linings.

Lila cackled madly as she made her way to the address printed on the sheet.


	2. Contracted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila visits IMP.

Immediate Murder Professionals, or IMP, was situated in the most run down dump Lila had ever seen. It was slightly better than her own apartment, though not by much. Not that she couldn’t afford something a little better, but she had been scrimping and saving since she first started at the press. The phone call she made weeks ago informed her of the steep price of assassination. It sucked royally to be losing nearly her entire savings, but it would be worth it in the end. Life in Hell will be a little easier when she has Maribrat strung up in her room as her personal punching bag.

As soon as Lila entered the office, she had to duck to avoid her skull becoming a bloody quiver for the arrow that was now embedded into the wall behind her. She straightened when the danger had passed and glared at the tiny red imp smiling bashfully at her. Another imp with a more feminine figure and dark hair ruffled the white hair of… her brother? “Sorry ‘bout that, sweetie. Target practice.”

Lila turned her head and saw the bullseye hanging on the outward swinging door. If that wasn’t a recipe for a lawsuit. Well, it would be on the surface. Could one even sue in Hell? She shook off that train of thought to focus on the matter at hand. “I’m looking to book an assassination? Where’s your boss?”

Before she even finished her question, another door to the left of the reception desk flew open. A tall, really tall, imp with towering curved black and white horns beamed wickedly. “Hello there! Welcome to I.M.P. where we kill off the fuckers you couldn’t in life! Come on in! Moxxie, please stop shooting at the door, m’kay? You shoot any of our potential clients and I’ll string you up by your baby dick and beat you like a pinata!”

It was satisfying seeing the employee getting scolded and threatened for damn near killing her. She quickly grew irritated when he showed no signs of fear and she felt that perhaps that kind of exchange must occur often. Swallowing down her discontent at the dirty office and deplorable workforce, she slipped past a softly growling dog girl to escape into the dark office.

The tall imp slid behind his desk and Lila took a moment to observe his office. There were framed fliers for some kind of old circus no doubt long gone with his name in bold. A bulletin board behind his desk had papers and photos pinned to the material with red strings interlacing them in a pattern she couldn’t decipher. It was relatively clean and organized. There were even two little bobbleheads of the small imps on the desk. Some kind of failed merchandise? Lila shrugged it off. She didn’t care about the business, only what they could provide. So long as the blue eyed bitch was dead before the week’s end, who gives a shit if the entire IMP team hosted orgies among themselves every night. This was Hell so that wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. She had seen advertisements for worse from Hell’s porn studio. 

The head of I.M.P. shot a smile that radiated sadistic glee that Lila had grown used to seeing in Hell. “So what can I do you for, uh…”

“Lila Rossi.” She fluttered her lashes demurely. Perhaps she could knock a few dollars off the price of murder by gaining his interest. It didn’t work all the time, but it worked enough that she didn’t discard the flirt card entirely. There was no way in Hell (heh) that she would sleep with an imp, but it didn’t hurt to allude to the idea if it meant keeping a fraction of her savings.

Unfortunately, he didn’t take the bait. The demon casually leaned back in his well worn chair with a smug and knowing grin. “Whatever. Who do you want dead?”

Seeing how he was showing no interest, she dropped the act. Further pursument might end badly for her. “Oh, it’s just horrible. You see, I was really lonely growing up with a father always moving me around for work and my mother focusing on her career as a diplomat. I got so lonely that I developed the habit of lying about doing these great things to my classmates so that they would like me. My mother got transferred to Paris and my parents decided to move me there to put down roots and try for a normal life. I immediately began lying to make friends. I know it was wrong, but I really wanted to be liked. This really nasty girl took it personally and was determined to paint me as some kind of villain. All the while a villain by the name Hawkmoth was terrorizing the city using this Miraculous thing to turn people into villains by using their bad emotions as some kind of trigger. My mom found out about my tall tales and got akumatized. She hunted me down and I kind of died trying to run away. 

“The point is I’m like 90% certain that it was Marinette who tattled to my mom and made me look really, really bad. Everyone thinks she is some kind of angel, but I know her to be super mean. And she’s a stalker! Adrien Agreste, my boyfriend, modeled for his father’s brand and she had this creepy obsession with him. We hit it off immediately after meeting, absent parents you know, and started dating. I think that might be why Marinette hated me so much. I heard a rumor that she had his schedule down to the minute.” Another tasty bit that Lila regretfully never got to share with the world. Oh well. Surely stalking counted as a sin, right? “What I’m trying to say is that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is like the personification of evil that tricked everyone into believing she’s this angelic hero that can do no wrong and I want her dead!”

Lila’s sweet facade faded as she ended her trade, her rival’s name spat out like poison that alluded to her true feelings about this girl.

Blitzo (the o is silent) merely blinked at his newest client. “So you want some chick dead because she didn’t believe the bullshit you spouted for popularity points?”

Hackles raised at the uncaring nonchalance of his tone and the way he summarized her story, Lila felt her hair come to life in her rage. “I want her dead because she’s a simpering, scheming little nobody who thinks that a few commissions from a few celebrities makes her important!”

“Commissioned by celebrities?” Blitzo reiterated in surprise, then grinned deviously. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?”

She choked on her own spit. Jealousy was an ugly word, one she never cared to even think about. What reason would Lila Rossi have to be jealous? She was Lila Rossi! So the little bitch could sew a pattern. Big whoop! She could rile a crowd of gullible morons into a furious frenzy and turn them on someone they once admired. Who gives a single shit that Marinette can photoshop an album cover or make a jewelry set?

Blitzo cackled and leaned against his desk, his narrowed gaze penetrating her very soul. “That’s what it is, isn’t it? She has the popularity, the talent, and probably the looks that make people fawn over her. You’re jealous that she gets everything that you had to lie and cheat people for.”

Lila’s fists came down hard on the desk before she even registered that her arms had moved. “Are you going to kill the bitch or what?!”

The imp chuckled at her show of rage. He waved her off. “Yeah yeah, mosquito bite. So long as you’re willing to hack up the cash, I couldn’t give a shit less what the fuck happened between you two. Just sign a contract saying you’ll pay the fee for the kill.”

A single sheet of paper was placed in front of her and she read it thoroughly. Being the daughter of master manipulator and a diplomat in training taught her to read the fine print. This particular contract was simplistic and straightforward, but she caught the punishment for a failed money transaction. “The fuck! What the shit do you mean by ‘life is forfeit upon failure to meet payment’?”

Her hired assassin arched an eyebrow and shared a deceptively cheery smile. “Well let me dumb it down for you. You don’t pay up, and me and my associates will use you for target practice until your corpse is nothing more than a smear on our wall! I hope that clarifies things for you.”

Lila gulped at the murderous intent in his eyes that glittered maliciously, but she would not show her fear. His satisfied smirk told her that he saw it anyway. “Anyway we can have that stricken from the contract?”

“No. Sign it or get the fuck out.” He collapsed back into his chair and waited.

She signed her name and watched the ink glow and dim back into regular black scrawl. Lila was only beginning to learn the ins-and-outs of Hell, but she assumed that the glow meant bad news for her if she didn’t make the payment. 

Blitzo beamed and ripped the paper off the desk and into one of the drawers. “Alrighty then! Let me get my team together and head out!”

The orangette breathed a happy sigh. Her nemesis would be dead by day’s end and rotting in hell where Lila could get her hands on the uppity twit. Lila followed the demon out of his office with a skip in her cloven steps. 

“Everyone, I want you to meet Lisa: our newest client!” Blitzo turned to the seething, green skinned sinner. “We’ll call you as soon as we make the kill. M’kay? M’kay.”

Lila inhaled through her nose and shot the imps a sadistic smirk. “Be sure she suffers before she dies. Bonus points if you can get me photos.”

She didn’t see the tall imp roll his eyes as he nudged her out of the office. “Yeah sure. Whatever you want. Have a nice day now. Bye!”

The door slammed shut behind her, the sound making her jump and trip over her own feet… hooves. She was still getting used to that term. Before she could leave, she overheard Blitzo’s whiny voice through the door. Her slightly pointed ears picked up something about a special book. She peeked through the broken shades partially protecting the office from view and saw the wolf demon holding a blue book decorated with gold lettering cradled by a crescent moon. The three imps jumped into a round portal hanging in midair leaving the wolf behind with the book. She, as the long hair and curved figure implied, closed the book and the portal simultaneously and settled into her desk with her phone.

‘So that’s how they travel to the mortal world.’ Lila thought to herself as she quietly made her way out of the building. Though she was still new to Hell, she got the feeling a book like that was worth a fortune. She would keep it in mind as a last resort. After all, Blitzo and his employees were paid to kill people, probably enjoyed it too. It would be suicide to make an enemy of them. At least until she had a powerful figure to hide behind.


	3. City of Fights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blitzo and co. come close to courting their death.

Moxxie was elated at the chance to see Paris, the city of love. He and Millie intertwined their tails as they slipped and sneaked through the shadows of the mishmash of old and modern buildings and monuments, taking photos with each other and just enjoying one another’s company. Couples could be seen everywhere strolling along the Seine and sharing ice cream cones wearing love sick expressions on their faces. Everyone was too wrapped in themselves to pay any attention to the red blurs darting about in the darkness of the lengthening shadows as the sun sank deeper into the horizon. The famous lights had switched on to light the night as Moxxie and his cohorts slipped further into the city. 

Just as they were nearing the home of their target, a loud explosion shook the ground. The trio shared a look of utter terror as thoughts of Angels overtook their minds. Demons, imps especially, had no place in the mortal realm. Moxxie feared that the Heavenly Host had discovered their little business venture and had come to put an end to it, permanently. It wasn’t until they heard the repeated shouts of ‘Akuma’ that they realized that the citizens seemed rehearsed as they sought out cover. Blitzo snapped his fingers. “That’s right! That Lisa said something about a villain during the interview. And here I was thinking she was full of shit.”

Millie squinted in irritation. “A villain? What kind of villain? Are we in danger?”

“Why didn’t this come up in the briefing?” Moxxie was more than a little upset that their boss had once again placed them in a potentially dangerous situation.

Blitzo waved them off. “Oh, calm your tits, Moxxie. Lily mentioned a hero that fights the dick so we don’t have anything to worry about.”

Suddenly, a bright red blur flashed over them and they looked up to see a young lady in a black spotted suit running over the rooftops and directing civilians to shelter as she ran towards the sounds of mayhem. What was really shocking about the girl was the halo that seemed to encase her being. She emitted a light of her own that Moxxie had never seen before; not from any demon or human he had ever come across. Though far from the source, he could feel the warmth of her light and desired to bask in it’s serenity. 

“Uh… Should we follow her?” Moxxie questioned warily to his silent boss. He had never seen Blitzo so shocked before. The imp always had a smart retort at hand for any situation, but this was new. 

Blitzo shook his head. “We’re here for Marinette Dupain-Cheng, not a ladybug cosplayer. Let’s just kill the bitch and get back home.”

The threesome situated themselves on the roof opposite of the target’s home with a plan to snipe her through her window. Ready for the night to be over, they bunkered down and waited. Seven minutes passed before a cloud of red ladybugs flew through the city and cleaned up any debris made by the so-called Akuma much to the group’s confusion.

Bored out of his mind, Moxxie spied the same crimson girl from before. “Hey, look over there! It’s that glowing girl!”

His wife, his most beloved Millie, nudged Blitzo with her elbow. “Have you ever seen anything like that before?”

Blitzo shook his head, looking much less confident than usual. “Nope. First time for me.”

Moxxie watched as the crimson girl landed on the fenced roof of the bakery they were scouting. In a flash of pinkish red light, the ladybug-like suit vanished and left behind their target. Still glowing like an earthbound star.

The three did nothing as the quarry communicated with a tiny floating red speck they couldn’t quite make out from the distance. Moxxie peered up at his boss. “There’s something different about this human, Blitzo. Are you sure you’ve never heard of a human glowing before? A rumor or a story?”

His boss had his phone out before Moxxie could even finish his question. Blitzo dialed a number and had the phone against his ear, his rifle on the ground. “Hey… Stolas.”

Moxxie could hear the voice from the other end being so close to the horned imp. “Blitzy! Oh, I’m so delighted you called! I was about to pick up the phone myself.”

“Yeah yeah. Look Stolas,” Blitzo lowered his pitch. “we picked up a contract for a human hit, but this one is glowing like a nightlight. Have you ever heard of a human doing that?”

The line was silent for a moment as this Stolas processed what he had heard. Finally, Moxxie heard him again. Only this time, his heart jumped at the sound of fear in the tone. “Get out. Get out of there. Drop the contract and return to Hell immediately!”

Blitzo glanced down at Moxxie and his partner with uncharacteristic worry. “Why? What’s the deal? Is she secretly an Angel?”

“No, but I’d bet she’s being watched by them.” The trio shuddered with dread at the insinuation. The thought of being so close setting off what was essentially a death trap was terrifying and made Moxxie want to run home and hide under the bed. “That, Blitzy, is a pure human soul. One that is bound to a purpose and will ascend to Heaven upon their death or be reincarnated to further Heaven’s work. If you kill her, you will bring the entirety of Heaven’s wrath upon your heads. Get out of there now!”

Blitzo ended the call and immediately dialed Loona. The imps retreated back into their home realm with unease dogging their steps back into the office.

Loona, the resident receptionist and Hellhound, looked over each of them with a hint of worry behind her mask of apathy. “What happened? You sounded freaked on the phone. Did you see an angel or something?”

Blitzo said nothing as he retreated into his office. It fell on Millie and Moxxie to regale Loona with what they had seen. By time their boss rejoined them, all three were caught up. Moxxie was looking more and more happy as time ticked on. “I knew it. I knew there had to be a pure human somewhere!”

Millie rubbed her husband’s back gently, her own lips tilted up in response to his elation. Blitzo returned from the office after his breathing session and the good mood vanished. “I called Stolas again and told him everything. Apparently that girl is a hero wielding the Ladybug Miraculous of Creation and she is essentially a tool of the universe. She is a legitimate hero and secured her place in Heaven by constantly putting her safety on the line to protect others. Her good deeds far outweigh her bad ones, and even the sins she does commit are satisfied by her regret and steps to right them. If we had killed her, we would have put a massive target on our backs.”

Never had Blitzo sounded so serious and sullen. No curse words or insults. Not even a joke. The hint of pure fear in his eyes alerted his workers as to just how close they came to landing themselves into trouble they could never escape. Loona whimpered softly and Moxxie clung to his wife. 

The little white haired imp looked up at his employer. “Should we inform the Overlords about this? Or the King? Tell them about that client who ordered her death…”

“I already told Stolas.” Blitzo cut him off. “Other than that, I don’t see any reason to go blabbing about it to everyone in Hell. I’m dropping the client and blacklisting her. No doubt that fucking sadist will be pissed, but it’s not like she’ll be able to do anything. We have the book and the numbers. She’ll just have to get over it.”

*******

Lila slammed her fists on the desk, her orange ponytail whipping about like an actual tail. “WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?!?!”

Olive green eyes glared malevolently at the uncaring mercenary. He shrugged one shoulder, his head resting on the clenched fist of his other arm. “Marinette is a pure soul bound for the pearly gates. We can’t do shit to her, so we’re gonna have to drop you. It’s not that hard to figure out.”

“No!” Lila began to pace. “Dupain-Cheng is a stalker! She pants after Adrien like a bitch in heat! She stole his phone for fuck’s sake! She’s a sinner and she deserves to rot down here in Hell with the rest of the yellow bellied bastard scum of the universe! And who gives a flying fuck about her being a fucking hero?! She is way too popular and famous to not have some nasty skeletons in her fucking closet!”

Lila stared venom coated daggers into the ground. She felt the burn of tears behind her eyelids and forced them back. She wouldn’t cry. Not over this. But fuck, it was so un-fucking-fair! Lila had to spin outrageous bullshit stories just to gain entry into a clique while Maribitch got everything handed to her for breathing. She juggled countless stories and spent countless hours and money maintaining those stories. There was a time once in a middle school back in Italy where a girl had called her out on her lies from the very start all because her family was related to the athlete Lila had lied about. She only spent four months at that school, but it had been a lonely sixth year. Everyone had called her Liar-la, shunned her, ostracized and bullied her. From that point on, Lila had made certain to get a better feel for her classmates before lying. It came as a shock to learn that Maribrat had actually designed for Jagged Stone long before she ever showed up. Why the bitch hadn’t called him up to rat her out still baffled her. Maybe she was too stupid, but it was more likely that didn’t out of some sense of uppity honor.

Fucking bitch didn’t even have the guts to bring her all into the war between them. If Lila had been in her shoes, she would have destroyed anyone who threatened her reputation. Instead, she played all high and mighty as if she were too good to get her hands dirty in a fight. And because the little bitch was too pussy shit to stand up for herself, she got a one way ticket to Paradise in the after life.

Fucking damn it all, it's so unfair!

“Look here, tiny tits. You can either fuck right off and go about your day or I can have my associates escort you out.” She graviated back to the desk and punched the surface hard enough to feel it in her wrist. 

With a heated growl and a sinister smile, Lila addressed the imp. “How about a kidnapping? You bring the bitch down here and I’ll kill the simpering cunt myself.”

Blitzo chuckled hysterically. The green bitch’s eyes glittered with a madness that gave him a feeling of foreboding that he felt only twice before. “Yeah… no can do. That is like the biggest fucking no-no in Hell. Kidnapping a soul destined for the cloud kingdom will attract all kinds of attention that will most likely lead to our merciless slaughter at the hands of the Angels if not lead Constantine to our doorstep. Trust me when I say that you do not want that fucker's attention.”

Lila couldn’t care less about the consequences at this point. She just wanted Marinette Dupain-Cheng at her mercy. “She won’t be alive for long once I drag her down here. Besides, what’s one stupid little human in the compared to an entire planet of fuck ups?”

Blitzo was silent as he contemplated the demoness before him. She was a right psychopathic dick shit with a grudge against a chick sprung out of jealousy and spite. Setting her loose in the mortal realm would end in disaster for everyone in Hell and would land his ass into some deep ass shit. Blitzo never thought much of the sinners condemned to this cesspit, but he knew that continuing an acquaintance with Lila would end badly.

He may not be the best boss in the world, but he wouldn’t allow this weasel-faced bitch to bring Heaven’s eye upon them over a petty grudge. He rose from his chair, his form becoming more demonic in appearance to better emphasize his point. Blitzo took joy in the flash of fear in Lila’s eyes. “We are done here. Leave or I’ll make you.”

Scared but still angry at the universe for the bullshit hand she had been dealt, Lila stood her ground. “What about that contract I signed?”

“Consider it void.” Blitzo’s voice darkened and his glowing eyes lit up the shaded room in an eerie red. “Get out.”

She ran. Lila always chose self preservation over dignity. She could lie her way out of consequences later, but she couldn’t get revenge if she was dead. As she came to a stop near her shitty apartment, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

She had died, but she would have her revenge. She would have the last laugh. Even if it meant she had to pry that book from their cold, dead fingers, she would drag Marinette into the pits of Hell and make her beg for death.


	4. A Crime Against Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila gets the book and draws the worst kind of attention.

It took weeks. It didn’t help that three, count ‘em: 3, coworkers died in a turf war which increased the workload at the press. Plus, she wanted absolutely no one to know about the imp’s special book in the likelihood that her partner in crime would stab her in the back and keep the spoils.

Nearly two months, and several uncomfortable conversations she overheard later, and she finally succeeded in getting the book. Stolen right out of a pretty palace while that tall imp and some _really_ bird boy were shaking the walls with their fornication. Lila had blushed tomato red at the things she heard pouring out that owl prince’s mouth through the door. Her face felt like it was on fire by the time she fled the sitting room with the book in tow. 

Hours later, sitting alone in a deserted and run down building slightly worse than the IMP office, Lila flipped through the pages of the book trying to absorb as much as she could. She would have taken pictures with her phone, but she dropped it as she was climbing the fence to escape the manor. It was the most careless and stupid thing she had ever done, but she couldn’t retrieve it as a group of demons had approached that part of the field and she was forced to flee. She avoided her home as she knew that if they found her phone, they would surely send the law enforcement to her apartment. And she never wanted to encounter those entities, not if she could help it. Her plan to return the book and avoid the consequences was still sketchy at best, but she could always hide in the mortal realm to buy time.

Finally, she came across the spell she needed. Interdimensional travel between realms. It looked simple enough for being so powerful. All the better for her. 

Unfortunately, she didn’t have chalk on hand which was required to form the gate. Running into a store to grab a pack wouldn’t be too difficult, but Lila had no clue whether or not her phone or the missing book had been discovered. Lila really didn’t want to get detained now that she was so close to tasting vengeance, but she needed chalk.

Faced with no other option than to test the waters, Lila slipped the booked under her baggy jacket and hid beneath the shade of the hood. On her way through town, she spied no wanted posters or anything of the like. None of the… what equated to cops were out on the street. The clerk at the store paid little mind to her as she purchased a single pack of four count white chalk. Lila thought she was in the clear until she saw the black haired imp walking in her direction. Her alert and bloodthirsty eyes scoured the alleyways and passing demons in what was clear to be a hunt. 

Lila didn’t know for sure that it was she they were looking for, but when did it ever hurt to play it safe?

The orangette slinked down the road and around the corner. Her heart rate spiked when she spotted the she-wolf and spun on her heel to go in the opposite direction. Almost as soon as she made forward momentum, she bumped into someone’s chest. Usually, she would snap at the idiot and be on her way, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself. And her hold on the book had slipped. 

She swore her heart stopped entirely as the tome slapped the ground. Rushing to get it back into the folds of her jacket, she thought nothing of the black pointed shoes that gleamed red in the street lamps and dark red trousers with thick, dark red hems. She bit out a quiet apology and raced along the scenic route to the condemned portion of the hellish cityscape to craft the portal to revenge.

Little did she know that she had drawn the worst kind of attention from a Demon whose ire was avoided like the plague. The Voodoo Prince, Master of Eldritch, and Overlord Alastor perceived her dismissal of her mistake as a most grievous insult. Not to mention the rare book that he saw her hiding away like the little thief she was. He knew of the little arrangement between Prince Stolas and Blitzo the imp though spared it little thought. He had no business in the mortal realm and he had all the magic he needed without resorting to some little book. However, the fact that it meant next to nothing to him did not mean that it wasn’t dangerous in the wrong hands. That green horned demoness would surely stir up trouble with that tome in her care.

Alastor’s already broad grin widened with sadistic glee at the chaos to come. 

Putting off his plans in favor of pursuing the green horn, Alastor knew that he would get no fuss from Crown Princess Charlotte when he told her why he had skipped out on the lunch meeting to discuss the future of Hazbin Hotel. 

*****

Lila watched the portal close behind her. She looked around the park she landed in, taking in the starry sky and the muted colors of the mortal realm. The smell of city pollution made her nose twitch, but underneath all that she could detect the rich aroma of the earth. The smell of leaves and bark, dirt and grass, and the delicate scents of the in-season flowers of which the petals were closed for the night. The evening air was warm, as expected for the tail end of August.

She picked up the wet aroma left behind by summer showers. 

Her chest felt a little lighter. Lila had always loved the smell of rain. She didn’t realize how much she had missed the simple pleasure of living. There wasn’t any growth of vegetation in Hell, at least not like the kind in the mortal realm. And the air in Hell was thick with the heat of the outer layer ringing the inner city that was basically the prison and punishment in Hell, and the atmosphere smelled of it too. She wished for a moment that a rain storm would come and cleanse her with a refreshing shower that she never learned to appreciate. It never rained in Hell, at least not since she’s been there. She’d bet that any kind of rain in Hell would be acidic and harmful and smelling of sulfur. Why had she huddled indoors when it began to rain when she was alive? If she could go back, she would stand in the onslaught and revel in the sensations of it all.

Distant laughter brought Lila back to the present, her body tensed and head snapping in the direction of the sound. Her eyes that were slightly more sensitive to darkness saw the familiar faces of her once staunchest guard dog and her spineless, whiny boyfriend. The two were walking along the street and talking softly to each other. Both wore lovestruck expressions on their faces that quite frankly made Lila sick. 

It also served to remind her that her life was over. There was no going back, no second chances for her. She was here to kill their precious Everyday Ladybug. A girl they praised as a fucking hero yet turned on her faster than she could spin bullshit accusations about her. Lila was here on a mission and she was going to get that simpering, cowardly upstart. Maribitch will burn for the rest of eternity if she had anything to say about it. And thanks to the spell book, her word carried a lot of weight. 

Now what was the best way to go about it?

After a few minutes to plot, Lila settled on a plan that would draw the least amount of attention. She would sneak into Maribrat’s room, craft the portal, and drag the cunt by her hair right out of her bed. The portal would be closed behind Marinette by the time her parents, that terrifying martial master of a mother and threatening giant of a father, even got out of bed. And when Marinette was left alone and defenceless in Hell with her…

Lila chuckled deep in her throat. Those in the vicinity who could hear her laughter felt the hairs on their napes stand at attention at the warped malevolence in the sound and vacated the area quickly. 

Finding the bakery wasn’t overly difficult. It was practically right next to the park and Lila remembered glaring hatefully at the cheery exterior every time she passed the doors. Climbing the walls with the book in tow proved to be a little more challenging. Her hooved feet were of no help in climbing and she wasn’t lucky enough to be reborn with a set of wings. Though she could jump higher than an average human, there was no way she could make it to the roof without making a lot of sound. Lila realized that she would have to walk along the row of buildings until she found a way up and then double back on the rooftops. 

The hunt for a fire escape took up over 20 minutes of her time. Her hooves clanged against the metal when she did find a ladder to the roof. It sounded like Thor throwing a tantrum no matter how lightly she tried to tread. Making her way across the roofs proved to be just as loud. She wouldn’t have been surprised if someone called in an Akuma and summoned Ladybug and that Cat, that was more like a dog the way he panted after Ladybug, to her location. As much as Lila would love to beat the shit out of the crimson insect, she was no match for either of them while they were in suit.

An hour later and salivating at the proximity of her goal, Lila broke the latch to Marinette’s sunroof and slipped into her room. 

The first thing to catch her eye as a gorgeous wedding dress in the center of the room. She couldn’t tell the exact color in the pale moonlight, but she could tell that the white dress was sashed and decorated with hand embroidered music notes. Lila was no fashion designer, but even she could see it wasn’t completed. Even so, the dress looked to be in the making of something truly magnificent. It was just a shame that Marinette would never get to complete it. She even contemplated ruining it just for shits and giggles, but she was too close now to allow herself such distraction.

The next thing to catch her eye was the halo of light surrounding her arch rival just behind the dress. What she had thought was a lamp was actually a gentle light radiating off of Marinette that didn’t seem to cast any shadows in its wake. Lila found her nemesis curled over asleep on her desk. It looked like she had been working on assembling the jewelry for the dress when she conked out. 

Careful as to not make any noise, the demoness opened the book and sketched out the pentagram that would be her door back to Hell. When she was done and the words whispered with purpose, Lila shut the book with a satisfied clap. 

Then tripped over a chest on her way to Marinette.

Her hoof hitting the hard material was loud on its own, but the addition of crashing head first into the mannequin and tackling it to the ground was even louder. Marinette was up and out of her chair in a fighting position before she could even get to her feet. Two cries of her rival’s name could be heard through the floor followed by the ruckus two stampeding parents caused as they raced to her daughter’s room.

“The hard way then.” Lila hissed and leapt from the floor to grab the bitch. She didn’t anticipate Marinette dodging out of the way which promptly led to her crashing head first into the wall and on top of her desk. The sewing machine groaned under her weight, but it was the assortment of pins pricking her skin through her clothes that made Lila yelp. Marinette called out to her parents, whose footsteps were growing ever closer. She knew she didn’t have time for another fuck up.

Grabbing a long swath of fabric, Lila caught a struggling Marinette in its folds and tied her as best as she could. She raced to the open portal all while Marinette fought back and howled for her parents. The hatch door on the floor flew open with a loud thud and a tiny asian woman resembling Marinette leapt out. She wielded a staff with a very sharp looking blade on one end, a murderous glow in her slanted eyes of the likes that Lila had never seen before. Lila was truly afraid as Sabine Cheng snarled at her. “Release my daughter or I’ll skin you alive!”

Sweating and so close to freedom, struggling to keep hold of her target, Lila took a chance and threw herself into Hell. As the portal shrunk to once more close the link between realms, Sabine threw her weapon as hard as she could. The sword staff struck true and pierced her thigh.

The demoness wailed in agony and dropped Marinette in favor of tending to the blade that was wedged deep into the meat of her leg. Pitch black tar oozed from the wound in place of living red. She cursed and swore and snarled as she yanked the blade from her limb and threw it away in a rage. She would heal, slowly but surely, though that didn’t stop it from hurting like bitch.

Lila was so focused on her stab wound that she only noticed Marinette’s escape when the broken door crashed to the ground as she raced out of the derelict room no doubt heading for a way out. The orangette screamed at the torture of climbing to her feet, but she couldn’t allow the little whore to get away. Running was out of the question, however, Lila had the advantage of home turf. She knew the area, kinda, and she knew the cityscape. The stupid glow of hers would draw the eye of any demon and she would get caught immediately. 

No one would take Maribitch’s kill from her.

The demoness was so intent on her hunt for Marinette that she didn’t notice the shadows lengthening around her. She was taken completely by surprise when a shadow tentacle ensnared her in a suffocating grip that left her unable to move although she tried. All her movement stopped, however, when a gray skinned demon in a red striped jacket seemed to rise from the darkness in front of her. He was tall, so incredibly tall, with black spindly antlers and piercing red eyes and a wide, wide smile displaying his set of yellowed fangs. The sound of radio white noise filled the air and Lila could only think of one demon associated with radios in Hell though she never dreamed there would come a day when she would meet him.

“Lila.” Her heart dropped into her stomach and raced in panic when the entity blared her name in that crackly tone like a radio just out of focus with a station. “You’ve done something very naughty.”

Overwhelmed with fear and pain, Lila feinted in Alastor’s grasp. 

He chuckled mercilessly as the tentacle squeezed his captive at his mere whim. The pure soul was safely encased and unconscious in another set of shadows not far off, safe and sound in his care. He spied no blue book and was elated at the thought that the young demoness had lost it in her bid for vengeance. Oh, she was in quite the pickle. That book was never meant to leave Hell and this little trollop had lost it in the mortal realm to satisfy a personal spite. How delightful.

A triad of shadow beings came to his silent call. “Go inform the Shrouds that there is a living, pure soul trapped in Hell if they don’t already know, and that she is in safe hands. You go inform the King of the situation. And you, kindly request a room at the Hazbin Hotel and alert the Crown Princess that she will be receiving a very special guest.”

He turned away with his unconscious cargo in hold knowing that the Shades would follow his commands without question. Alastor didn’t need to peek into the wastelands to know that the Shrouds were in a tizzy having sensed the crossing of a living human into the realm. But he knew they would waste hours scouring the outer rim looking for the trespassers when the lady in question was in the City. Better to make them aware so that they would track down the humans that could come retrieve his newest ward. Considering that Constantine’s soul had not made its debut in Hell as another resident, the Warlock had the means and know-how to save the poor girl dragged to Hell all over a petty grudge. Hopefully, he’d return that book too.


	5. Sound the Alarm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constantine is informed of a most egregious mistake. Thankfully, luck is on his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posting. Long day yesterday. :3

Why he’d been invited to this stupid meeting he would never know. John Constantine blew out a cloud of thick smoke and watched the wisps swirl and dance before fading into nothing. He felt Robin’s disapproving glare but ignored it as the little brat’s opinion of him meant absolute shite in John’s mind. All kinds of nasties had been increasing steadily for the past three years and it was getting harder to keep up with them. When the Justice League put down one problem, two more seemed to crop up. Then three. And eventually four. He understood the reason behind the meeting, but he didn’t like that all the members had been called back to HQ. Of course only some could make it back as others were needed to fight back the growing dissension in the world, but just the idea of this shite show brassed him off. 

Batman and Wonder Woman had paired up to create quite the map of the world that marked every disturbance colored code by year and the violence. The world map was dotted in a rainbow of colors, but a single white spot in Europe confused the fuck out of him. The League has settled disputes and battles all over the globe, but they haven’t had much trouble with France. As Constantine began to think about it, he found it rather odd. 

Fish boy seemed to have the same epiphany. “You think that the growing unrest in the world is coming from Paris?”

John had been thinking, not really paying attention to what everyone had been saying.

He was just tuning back into the conversation at hand when an overwhelming feeling of dread washed over him, forcing him to sit up straight in his chair. All the hairs on his body were standing on end and it looked like Zatanna felt it too from the way she jumped and stilled in her seat. 

The woman by his side, a skilled magic practitioner and one hell of a looker, scanned the room as if she would be able to see what had troubled her. “Something’s wrong.”

Hal Jordan, aka. Green Lantern, kept his gaze on his phone. “The alarms are silent and no one is screaming. I think we’re good.”

John sided with her. Not because she couldn’t handle her own, but because he felt the urgent need to right what had just been made wrong despite not knowing what the bloody hell it was. “I feel it, too.”

“Yes. It feels like all the good in the world just disappeared.” Zatanna looked uneasy. Knowing that the two of the most unshakeable of the League were unnerved made alarm stir within everyone else as Constantine never showed such an emotion without goddamn good reason. 

Zatanna slowly rose from her seat at the conference table. “Cyborg, start running checks on the news outlets.”

The Titan rolled over to the giant computer at the edge of the room that John knew was worth well into the millions. “On it. All of America?”

Constantine felt this was bigger than that. “All of the world.”

Minutes passed then hours, though it felt like days with the way Constantine’s skin was crawling. There was nothing in the news feeds that stuck out as truly terrible despite every cell in his body screaming that something was wrong. His anxiety was further solidified as Deadman made an appearance. The red garbed, pale skinned spirit capable of possessing other living entities zipped through the wall as if he were being chased by demons. “Constantine! Zatanna!”

“Boston?” Zatanna asked amicably. “What are you doing here?”

Batman spoke from behind the two magic users, startling them both with his silent approach. “Are you talking to Deadman? Does he know what’s happening that’s making you feel uneasy?”

Robin could be heard scoffing from his seat at the table. He went ignored as Constantine reiterated the dead man’s message for all those listening. “He said that something big has just gone down. Like a shift in the natural order kind of big. He said that the few shades he managed to pass looked to be in a mad frenzy.”

Boston Brand, or what was left of him, floated in tight circles that mimicked pacing. “I’m tellin’ you, John, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this happening. It’s like… it’s like the source of all things good and creation or something has just up and left!”

Zatanna relayed what the ghost said and Diana Prince’s brow fluttered in thought. “This sounds… familiar to me. That phrasing invokes a memory from my childhood.”

Now with Wonder Woman showing concern, the members of the Justice League began to rise from their seats. Superman placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He didn’t appear too shaken, but he was used to being a symbol of hope. What would happen to the people of the world if even the strongest man acknowledged in the universe was seen shaking in his boots? “Is this mentioned somewhere in Amazonian history?”

She shook her head, patting his hand. “No, nothing like that. Just the mention of creation as if it were an entity brought back a feeling of a memory. Like a dream of a dream.”

Apparently this night was meant for interruptions as Shrouds began filling the room and weaving through the air, flying madly about without rhyme or reason. Neither he nor Zatanna were able to follow them with their eyes as they moved too fast in their agitation. Finally, one parted from the pack and approached. “Coooonsstaaaantiiine.”

“Shrouds.” Zatanna hissed solemnly. “What do they want with you?”

“My number ain’t up yet and no one here is dead or dying. What in the bloody hell are you lot doing here?” John lifted his arms in preparation for attack. The Shrouds only dealt with the dead and damned, but they had never behaved like this before.

What they said next shook him to his very core, for the news they had to impart was very bad indeed. “A pure soul has been dragged to Hell! A pure soul not yet freed from their mortal coil has been stolen from the mortal realm!”

Zatanna gasped in horror and John’s only sign of grievance with the announcement was the widening of his eyes. “Oh no.”

Cyborg, still at the computer, was looking between them. “What? What did they say?”

“They said that a living soul who is destined for Heaven was kidnapped and taken to Hell.” Constantine wouldn’t have believed it if it weren’t for his gut feeling and that the ever serious Shrouds acted as the messengers. They were the ferrymen of the Underworld, not messengers. Not to mention that rules and structures were in place to keep such a thing from happening. Entering Hell himself was a bitch and half and he wasn’t pure of soul. He had to know more. “How did this happen?”

Another Shroud answered. “Vengeance, they say! A mortal soul damned for treachery and deceit stole the King’s Grimoire! Read the book and found the portal spell!”

Zatanna shared everything with the waiting League though John paid no thought to their growing concern. He was instead fueled by rage at how something so devastating happened under that fucking Fallen’s watch. “Why hasn’t He done something, then?! Is Lucy boy so incapable of managing his own House? Has anything been done?”

"She is in the care of Overlord Alastor." A Shroud answered in a raspy voice.

It took a moment for Constantine to remember the list of Overlords that helped maintain a semblance of order in Hell and swore vehemently once he recalled the only mortal soul to have gained such dark power. "Alastor? Him? You're entrusting the balance of the universe to Alastor?"

"Is that something we need to worry about?" Nightwing asked nervously.

John relayed all he knew about the entity. "Alastor was once a human in the 1930's. He was a serial killer and a radio host with quite the following in Louisiana. He died and proceeded to develop a reputation in Hell as a sadistic murderer. He carved out his own seat in the darkest pits of the Underworld and became one of the most feared demons in Hell. Now he has a pure, living human that does not belong in that cesspit, and would spark a war between Heaven and Hell should that person die down there!"

The Shrouds began to leave, but one remained with a last message to pass on to perhaps the only human that could help. "There is more."

Zatanna gaped, "There's more?"

"Fuckin' bitch!" John cursed and pulled from his cigarette. "How the fuck else could this get any worse?"

The cloaked, incorporeal spirit shifted in the air. "She is the Holder of the Miraculous of Creation. So long as the Ladybug remains in Hell, Creation will not exist in this plane."

John felt the world tilt slightly as the implication of this news made his vision falter. He had to grab hold of the table just to keep upright though he was unable to stop his cigarette from falling from between his lips. He hadn’t a single clue what a Miraculous was, but what an item it must be to affect not on the world but the entirety of the universe on this plane of existence. Zatanna reiterated the Shroud’s final message to the present League members. Although recuperating from the realization of just what the tragedy meant for the rest of the universe, he was shocked back into awareness at the synchronized gasp of Wonder Woman and Aquaman. 

He glanced over to see the two sharing looks of apprehension and fear. Overwhelmed and scared for the future ahead, Constantine righted himself and addressed the two royals with aggression. “What do you know? What is the Miraculous? Why is it so important and why isn’t it locked away when it can affect the universe?”

Diana worried her lip. “I don’t quite know. I remember my mother shared stories with me about her time as a Ladybug. She probably said more, but it was so long ago before I began delving into my training.”

“There is a tale in Atlantis about how the city sank to the ocean floor involving the Master of Misfortune and his Lady Luck.” Arthur crossed his arms and glared at the floor as if it held all the information he required. 

John arched one of his eyebrows. “What did this tale say about them?”

Arthur’s blue eyes were flat as he deadpanned, “He is the reason the city sank to the ocean floor. Lady Luck was able to save a small portion of the population from total annihilation. The Ladybug is a well kept secret and is revered in Atlantis. The Black Cat, not so much.”

“If these Miraculous are so important, why have we never heard of them?” Batman growled in the shadows. 

Nightwing spoke from behind beside Cyborg, looking over the newest missing persons reports. “I understand why relics that have the ability to completely remove a concept from the universe via interdimensional travel should be kept secret. If they have that kind of influence with just their absence, one has to wonder what they would be capable of in the wrong hands.”

Zatanna slammed her fists on the table. “I think we’re forgetting that there is an innocent person trapped in a place they don’t belong! Forget this Miraculous thing for now and let's put together a plan to go in and fetch them!”

Constantine snorted in derision. If only. “Easier said than done, but you’re right in the fact that we have to move quickly. Alastor’s palace resides in the dead center of Hell, what is essentially a city. While the incendiary, torture pits are unpleasant, Hell’s atmosphere is poisonous to the living. I’d say they’ve only got 24 hours, maybe three days if they've got strong lungs, before the air kills them. Not to mention the fact that one cannot simply open a portal into Hell City. It’s the place of Lucifer’s kingdom and there is a strong ward around the area that prevents other entities from just waltzing inside. Once a year, Angels will descend into Hell to cleanse the space to free up more space for the freshly dead and damned souls, as per a sealed contract between Heaven and Hell, and that’s only when the veils between worlds is thinnest: All Hallow’s Eve. A holiday that is two months from now. Two months that this Ladybug doesn’t have.”

“Why don’t you just walk to Hell City through the outer rim?” Robin questioned in a short clip. The kid put on a good show, but Constantine could see apprehension he hid behind his aggressive temper.

Zatanna offered a sad smile that couldn’t even reach her eyes. “Who knows how long that could take. The pits are quite extensive and even John has never seen the gates to the heart of Hell. Aside from that, there are many in those pits that will not care of his mission and will attack on sight. A treacherous journey by itself made longer by conflict with several demons that would see him fail. We don’t even know who we are looking for anyhow. The Shrouds did not say before leaving.”

Constantine was feeling anxious. He had just been swamped with all kinds of new information and he hadn’t an idea of where to start with this latest mission. If he left now, he could begin the trek through Hell to reach its heart, and the Shrouds seemed intent on at least him retrieving the soul, but the same could not be said for all the residents of the Underworld. Some would surely seek out the pure soul just for the satisfaction of torturing and tainting it with their darkness. Throw in a fucking magical relic that practically took all of creation with it to another dimension and he had himself a lovely fucking plan for the week.

His work phone trilled in his pocket and he wanted to throw the bloody thing at Superman just to watch him crush it in an attempt to catch the device. But it was his work phone with a number that he gave to prior “clients” in the case that their little problems came knocking once again. John pulled out a serviceable flip phone and pressed the button to accept the call. “Constantine.”

A soft, accented feminine voice laced with hopeful despair crackled through the speaker. “Hello? John Constantine? Someone suggested you to us, Monsieur Alim Kubdel. He said you once helped him with an impossible task.”

John had to stop and think about the name. Alim Kubdel was just made the curator at the Louvre and had gotten his hands on an old Celtic relic that happened to carry with it a nasty curse in the form of a demon. Constantine had happened to be in the area all those years ago and took care of it for him. Considering his job, he felt the need to give him his number in case Alim ever needed him to chase away the nasties tied to old junk. “I remember him. What do you want?”

“Our daughter has been kidnapped…” 

He felt bad cutting her off, but he didn’t have time to go chasing kids when he had a literal world ending situation on his hands. “Look, I’m sorry your kid’s missing, but I’m in the middle of a particularly stressful job so your tyke will have to wait.”

“She was pulled through a portal!” John’s interest was peaked. “By this demonic looking thing! It even left this blue book behind. I can’t make out the letters, but I won’t touch it. It radiates evil. M. Kubdel won’t touch it either. It’s why he suggested you.”

Constantine was stunned. It couldn’t possibly be this easy. “Pulled through a portal, you say? By something with a demonic appearance? Can you describe what it looked like?”

He listened diligently as the lady recounted what she could remember of the beastie. “It was in the middle of the night, but I remember seeing a set of horns though its left one had been broken and what looked like goat legs. Other than that, I’d almost say it looked like… well, someone our daughter used to know. But that would be crazy. Lila’s been dead since late April.”

An old rival’s vengeance. Constantine wouldn’t put it past what sounded to be a child from such an act of cruelty as to drag a living nemesis to their world and kill them there. Kids could be fucking nasty. “I see. And this book you found. Could you send me a picture of the cover?”

There was silence on the other end for a moment and a ping on his phone as she complied. Constantine spared a second to look at the photo. Though he had never seen it before, he knew what it was and just how much it was worth. “Keep that book under lock and key and don’t let anyone else know you have it.”

“So you will get my daughter back?” Her voice had grown lighter.

It just couldn't be this easy. “What’s your daughter’s name and where do you live?”

She was quick to reply. “I am Sabine Cheng, my husband is Tom Dupain. My baby’s name is Marinette Jinyu Dupain-Cheng. I wanted to honor both sides of her family. We own a patisserie in Paris, France. We live in the apartment above.” 

“Marinette Jinyu Dupain-Cheng of Paris.” Constantine shot an expectant glare at Cyborg on the computer. The half-bot typed in the name immediately in search of more information about his newest client. “I’ll be over to see you in about ten minutes.”

The relief in Sabine’s voice could be felt through the phone even over 4,000 kilometers away. “We will be waiting.”

Constantine shut the phone and rushed to the wall of monitors where everyone else save a few had gathered. “What have you got on our missing lady?”

It was Tim Drake, the usually too tired to really join in unless absolutely necessary, that answered. More fangirled, really. “It’s her! The girl who designed for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale! The brilliant mind behind MDC!

Batman scanned the information with his discerning eyes. “Just a few months older than Damian. Incredibly accomplished for one so young.”

“Incredibly dead if we don’t save her from the pits of Hell.” Constantine interjected. “Cyborg, her mum said something about how the demon that nabbed her looked a bit like an old acquaintance of her daughter’s who died around the end of April. Look for any deaths of anyone under the age of eighteen by the first name Lila. I want to know as much about this mess as I can.”

With that, the Warlock opened a portal to the quaint little bakery in Paris.


	6. Hell Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wakes up in Hell and meets her savior and hostess at the Hazbin Hotel. In Paris, John Constantine meets Marinette’ parents, finds a book, and encounters a Kwami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an apology for the late posting on Monday, I'm posting chapter 6 a little early. Enjoy. :3

Her muscles ached, her lungs were burning, and Marinette knew today was going to royally suck.

She rolled over in her bed, hoping to fall back asleep for just a few more minutes only to shoot right up when she remembered that she had school. As soon her body rose from the extra comfy mattress it began to sag again as her exhaustion caught up to her. If only she hadn’t had the awful nightmare last night, perhaps she would feel rested. Even now the memories of the night terror haunted her with their frightening realism and detail. Marinette swore she could feel the bruises that the demon had left on her body with her strengthened grasp and her own fucking bolt of cotton-wool blend she bought for a new winter coat for her dad. 

“Ah, the Lady awakes.”

A strange, staticky voice that sounded like it came from a radio gave her pause. Her radio had been broken by Xuppu’s curious and far too mischievous nature. It didn’t affect her too much as she hardly ever used it when she could just subscribe to her favorite artists’ media platforms to keep up with their newest songs. 

That’s when Marinette took stock of her environment and started to feel panic. The red walls with a black diamond pattern were nothing like her walls. There were two heavily curtained windows to her right, a nightstand just by the bed topped with a black and red lamp. Three paintings of beautiful but obviously inhuman figures were hung on the walls between the windows and on the wall before her. To her right was a matching nightstand with a matching lamp, a painting of two lovers locked in a passionate embrace, and a door to the left of the wall. The door was open, and a tall figure stood in the shadows. She couldn’t quite make out the features, but she’d swear on her new computerised embroidery machine that the man had tall, deer-like ears and short two-pronged antlers sprouting from his head.

Marinette stiffened as this unfamiliar man stepped into the light of the room. She had to appreciate his ensemble of clothes. She admired the striped jacket, but he was otherworldly in appearance. His skin was almost gray, khaki colored she’d wager, and he was sporting a small set of antlers in his fluffy red hair. Though his ears were very cute, most certainly squee worthy, his sharp yellowed teeth bared in a broad smile was very off putting. However, the chaotic energy he exuded called to her own aura of creation and fortune. Almost like how the Ladybug and Cat’s energies were meant to balance each other in a way she couldn’t quite reach with Chat Noir although she tried.

Right behind him was a shorter blonde woman with pale skin dotted with blush, big luminous eyes full of hope and happiness, and in a sharp looking suit with black fitted trousers and a pink jacket covering a white blouse. She zipped over to the bed in a blur and loomed over Marinette with what had to be the biggest smile she had ever seen. “I can’t believe you’re finally awake! I’m Charlie and I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Marinette felt herself relaxing in the face of this stranger’s enthusiasm. “Uh… hello. I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Can you… um… can you tell me where I am?”

The red dressed… man stepped at the foot of the bed and into her view. “This is the Hazbin Hotel, my dear. Located in the heart of Hell itself.”

“That’s right!” Charlie leaned in close to the stunned still blunette. “You are going to love it here! But don’t you worry about getting home, Alastor told my dad about the current predicament you’re in and they’re looking into ways to get you back to the surface.”

Marinette was silent, frozen on a bed that wasn’t her own in a Hotel that resided in Hell. Where she was currently sitting. “I’m in Hell?”

Charlie’s smile dimmed a little. She backed away, but remained close. “Unfortunately. You were kinda dragged here through a portal. Don’t worry! The demon that did it was caught and has been imprisoned for her trial which will be taking place in a few days hopefully. She stole one of the only books with the spell to create portals like that, and she lost it in the mortal realm, but we will get you back home. I promise.”

Home. She needed to go home. “This is Hell.”

The red garbed demon beamed a smile. “Do try not to panic. The very air is poisonous to you although those earrings of yours will stave off your demise for about a month.”

She couldn’t help it. Her heart had started to race as her mind caught up to the situation. “I’m in Hell!”

Alastor’s grin never dropped, though he did grant the human her space and in the care of someone far more sympathetic. He did take the time to explain the reasoning behind her residence. “The perpetrator was very forthcoming as to why she would pull a living soul into our world and I must say you make quite an impression for someone so pure.”

Charlie sat herself on the bed and rubbed comforting circles into the blunette’s back. “Don’t worry! We’ll get you home in no time! Until then, you’ll just have to stay here.”

Marinette, hyperventilating and on the verge of crying, started to inspect the room in search of her Kwami companion. “Where’s Tikki?!”

“The Kwami of Creation, I presume?” Charlie bit her lip. “She is… not here. She didn’t come through the portal with you.”

As Marinette cried herself to sleep under Princess Charlotte’s tender care, John Constantine was roaming through her room.

He observed that her room was very feminine yet also sprinkled with objects of her trade. It was the kind of room that was featured in magazines and dreamed up by little girls. A round bed sat on a shelf over a white corner table that looked like a general work station. Besides her laptop, it held all manner of crafting supplies from jewelry to knitting. A top tier sewing machine sat next to an assortment of jewelry baubles the girl had undoubtedly been working on when she was kidnapped. Beside the wrought iron metal keeping her bed from crashing to the floor was a vanity dresser neatly organized with cosmetics. Across from that wall was a lounging sofa, a tall mirror, a mannequin wearing a beautiful wedding gown not quite finished, a pink and black trunk, rolls of fabric settled into cubbies, and a large table carrying what appeared to be a very fancy embroidery machine. A new purchase, Sabine said. 

“We cleaned up the mess that horrid creature made when it took our baby.” Tom and Sabine stood off in a corner watching him. The tiny asian woman placed her hand over her husband’s which was set on her shoulder. “We thought she would appreciate it when she got back.”

Mr. Dupain gestured at the black vanity. “There’s a secret compartment at the bottom of the dresser. She designed it and I helped her install it. Marinette was so creative, even as a child.”

Constantine kneeled at the foot of the vanity and felt for a latch at Tom’s instruction. With a flick of his finger, a false bottom slanted down and revealed two wads of cash and a book the emitted magic like fire emitted heat. Merely touching the book made his skin burn. “I’m going to need you both to leave the room. This book is dangerous and I don’t want either of you getting hurt.”

Tom looked displeased, but Sabine was happy to comply. “Anything you need.”

The trapdoor shut with a decisive click leaving John Constantine alone in a missing girl’s room. 

He could feel the dark intent in the room, the remnant of Hell magick, but there was something greater in the air. It was not a magic he recognized, but a pleasant one. It was wild but comforting in a way. There was no ill will to be found in this room aside from what the demoness had brought with her. 

John dived into the book in search of the type used to create a tear between the veil that divided the mortal realm from the fiery pits. There were several hidden nasties printed on the pages though some worse than others. He eventually did find the portal ritual within the tome and matched it to the simple pentagram drawn on Marinette’s pink wall in chalk. Knowing that he now had a sure fire way to enter Hell at its very heart, his battle was half over. It was just that pesky toxic air he had to worry about.

And then he heard a soft hiss.

It wasn’t threatening but imploring, calling his attention to a wooden egg sculpture. It looked to be some sort of decoration, perhaps one of her projects, but he could feel that it was different. 

A tiny red blob with a black spot above big blue eyes peeked over the top. He held still as it seemed to assess him, not wanting to give whatever it was any reason to run away when it could have answers. After what could have been minutes, the small entity floated above the box and closer to Constantine. Her eyes bore right through him. “You are the one I called for to aid my Chosen?”

Constantine wasn’t sure how to react to this puny creature. Small enough to be crushed by his own hand yet practically glowing with power. “I was called here by Sabine Cheng to find her daughter.”

Little antennas upon its bulbous head twitched as it seemed to brighten with hope. “It worked then. Excellent.”

John cocked his head to examine the creature better. “What in the hell are you exactly?”

“Not here.” She zipped into the pocket of his trench coat. “Grab the Miracle Box. It’s not safe here. I will tell you all when we are safe.”

Confused and intrigued, the warlock did as he was told and snatched the box. Summoning the magic Zatanna taught him, he summoned a gateway to the League’s headquarters. He had to admit that jumping from one place to another was so damn convenient. Tiring as fuck though. He could see why Zatanna didn’t use it all the time.

Ignoring the small group that were at HQ and not out controlling whatever mayhem the population was stirring up, Constantine set the egg on the table. “Alright. Come on out. You owe me an explanation.”

Diana gasped as the red creature came flying out of his pocket. “My apologies. With Marinette gone, the Miracle Box was left unguarded. With Hawkmoth still making a mess of Paris, I knew it was too dangerous to just leave it in her room.”

Wonder Woman stepped forward to cradle the sprite in her palms. “I can’t believe it. Mother told me about Kwamis as a child. Until now, I thought that those descriptions she used were made to suit my childish fancies.”

Tikki’s big, sky blue eyes took in the woman’s appearance. “That headband. You wouldn’t happen to be an Amazonian, would you?”

“I am!” Diana brightened considerably. “My mother was once a Ladybug. Hippolyta?”

The fairy, or Kwami, smiled so damn brightly it hurt John’s eyes just to look. “How could I ever forget? She was an upstanding warrior and a fine leader. She had a habit of imagining the worst scenarios, but she used it to plan winning strategies. Hippolyta was one of my best Ladybugs.”

Diana seemed very pleased to hear that. She was beaming down with a softness Constantine rarely saw from the Amazonian. Then her brow furrowed as she took in the Kwami. “You look exhausted.”

“My anchor and Chosen are a realm away from me. I am trying to maintain the balance, but it is hard being separated from my Miraculous. You must hurry if you are the ones who will save my Ladybug. Many of my Ladies have died wearing my Miraculous, but never so far away from me. I don’t know what will happen to myself or the earrings if she perishes in Hell.”

Wonder Woman’s eyes glimmered with determination to save the stolen girl. The others had begun to huddle closer upon seeing that the high pitched Kwami was not a threat. Aquaman, that fishey fuck, finally grew the balls to approach the entity slowly wilting to nothing without her Charge. “We will, but it seems now you need to rest more than anything. You look beyond tired.”

Tikki giggled, but it sounded weary. “I’ve been watching over the Box to make sure it wasn’t taken and tried to maintain the Balance.” She considered the blue eyed blond for a moment, her smile growing ever more. “You’re an Atlantean.”

His cocky smirk was replaced by something far more tender than what Constantine was usually used to seeing from the ruddy jackass. “Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis. Well, Orin actually if you want to go by my Atlantean name. Still getting used to that one. I’ve heard a lot of talk about the Ladybug and her Kwami companion.”

The tiny Kwami hummed in sleepy bliss. “Lovely to meet you.” 

Constantine, right sick of the mindless chatter when a girl was in danger, whipped out the Hellish tome. “I found the book that demon dropped during her kidnap attempt an’ wouldn’t you know it, there is a spell in here that will allow to port into the heart of Hell.”

Tikki jolted out of Wonder Woman’s palms and right into Constantine’s face. “Don’t do that! The air is toxic in Hell City!”

With a dismissive grunt, the warlock backed his head away. “I know that. Been to the pits myself once or twice and I picked up a few things. This’ll be a quick in-an’-out rescue.”

The Kwami shook her head violently. “No, it won’t. There are many things you must understand! The Balance must be maintained!”

“So you want me to leave Miss Dupain-Cheng in Hell while you scold me about the universe? As you said, the air is toxic to the living in Hell, and that poison leaks from the heart of the Underworld. Marinette doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for help.”

Tikki was unphased. “So long as she wears my Miraculous, she can endure the poison far longer than a human could. Please. There are things you must know first.”

With an aura that gave a small taste of the force behind creation itself, Constantine waivered. He eventually set down the book with an agitated sigh. “Of course. It’s never easy when a bloody demon is involved.”

Diana gently cupped the Kwami as she began to droop in her flight. “You should get some rest.”

Nightwing bounced on his feet. “Cute and forceful. Just wait until Kor’i sees her.”

Zatanna chuckled then glanced up at the towering warlock. “So now we wait?”

She got a half shrug in return. “Whatever she has to say might be of use. Besides, she said the Miraculous is protecting Marinette so at least our deadline’s been extended.”

Cyborg peeked up from gazing at the little Kwami in wonder. “Should we call in everyone else? This might be important information to share.”

“Not now.” Batman spoke from the shadows. “They have their own battles to fight.”

John plopped himself right back in his seat and propped up his feet. No skin off his nose if he got to grab a kip while they waited for Tikki to regain her energy.


	7. Hellish Hotel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette meets the King of Hell, encounters Lila, and meets her hosts.

All the stories had it wrong.

The king of Hell has always been portrayed as either a red skinned, horned monstrosity or an ethereally beautiful seducer. In actuality, Lucifer Magne looked very human save for the white pale skin and the wicked sharp teeth. Other than that, the ruler of the Underworld seemed… approachable. His attitude came as a surprise as well the way he held out his hand in greeting wearing a fanged but friendly smile. 

"So this is the little human causing such a ruckus." His voice was smooth and deep, no undertone of sinister schemes or power. 

Marinette firmly shook his hand like her maman taught her. His statement registered in her mind and she dropped his limb in favor of curling into herself in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for stirring up trouble."

His smile never waivered, dismissing her apology with a fluid wave of his hand. "Things have been getting dull as of late and I was due a bit of excitement. Anyhow, you are not the one at fault if my source was telling the truth. Why don't you tell me in your own words what happened."

It made sense that the King of this realm would get involved after such a breach, but to do so personally threw Marinette for a loop. "Well, I'm not really sure. I was working on Penny's wedding dress and I think I must have fallen asleep while working. A loud noise woke me up. The next thing I know, I'm wrapped up and not in my room. My maman was able to get my attacker in the leg. I decided running was more important than getting a good look at my kidnapper. I guess I must've blacked out while trying to escape and I woke up in this room."

"You did not blackout, my dear. I merely put you to sleep to keep you from harming yourself." Alastor adjusted the hem of his jacket with an air of nonchalance, as if he had gotten used to being in the presence of royalty.

Lucifer hummed, his smile wide and eyelids half mast. "You said you have the suspect in question. I would like to meet her. Perhaps this young lady would be of use in helping me identify them."

It made her uncomfortable to think of being in the same room as her kidnapper, but Marinette wanted to know why. Why her? Why here? 

Why?

Alastor's grin radiated sadistic pleasure as dark shadows leaked from the walls and pooled into an amorphous mass in her hotel room. The black bubble popped and revealed a shivering, whimpering demon with sickly green skin and lackluster burnt orange hair. She wore a bright orange cardigan that hurt to look at over a black romper. One of its two horns were broken and tears streaked down the female's speckled face. Though dull and flat, Marinette recognized those olive green eyes and that sausage link hairstyle she hated with a passion. 

Lucifer stepped up to the crouched figure to better loom over her, showing her lack of power. "On your feet."

The demoness didn't get a chance to climb to her own feet... hooves actually. Two shadows like tentacles shot from the dark shades cast by the lights to grab the demon's arms and lift her from the ground. Her cloven hooves scraped the floor and her eyes came to life with terror, the green orbs flicking around madly as she tried to take in her new surroundings. They landed on Marinette once in passing then returned as Lila collected her wits. Terror gave way to deep seated loathing that frightened the bluenette. It was well known that there was no love lost between the two, but Marinette's dislike for the full blooded Italian was nothing compared to the malice Lila felt for her. 

Alastor slid in front of Marinette, acting as a barrier for her protection. "That answers that question. Don't you agree, your Majesty?"

"That seems to be the case." Marinette and Lila both shivered as the atmosphere in the room became heavier. The bluenette felt the invisible force of Lucifer's dark power bearing down with incomparable fury. Marinette wanted to run away and hide from the near physical force of his aura and she wasn't even the subject of it's focus. With her chest constricting with fear and anxiety and the overwhelming desire to run, she could only imagine how Lila must feel. "Give me your name or I will rip it from you." 

"Lila." Marinette whispered. Seething and frightened green eyes would surely be boring into her had Alastor not been in the way, but Marinette knew those eyes. She had nightmares of them watching gleefully as her classmates tore into her flesh like they did her sketchbook. "She's an old classmate of mine and a pathological liar."

Lila responded with not vitriol, but saccharine sweetness. "I don't know what you're talking about! I was…"

"Hold your tongue or you will lose it. Why did you steal a pure soul from the mortal realm?" The King's voice was colder than an Arctic breeze and harder than the ice that makes up the ground. 

If she could say anything pleasant about Lila, it’s that she was no idiot. An idiot wouldn’t be able to twist a group of people’s beliefs and sour their opinions of an individual so entirely that they would despise a person they once admired. However, Marinette knew that Lila couldn’t lie her way out of this. She was hanging by her arms in obvious detainment and neither of her captors could be swayed by tears or deception. Backed into a corner and now with nothing to lose, Lila gave up all pretenses and growled my name. “You fucking slant eyed, fish eater! If your whore of a mother hadn’t stabbed me, you'd be hanging by the neck like a personal punching bag!”

Alastor hissed through his teeth in a mocking manner. “Such unbecoming language.”

The King agreed and stalked closer to Lila. “You will speak plainly or never again. Why did you bring a child of Heaven into Hell?”

Marinette took a little satisfaction in seeing Lila cower in someone else’s web. It felt to her that justice was never truly served because Lila had died running from the police. Maybe now she could finally have some closure over all the torment Lila had put her through and finally move on with her life. 

Lila was trembling in the shadow’s clutches, yanking her arms in an attempt to weaken their grip. “I paid IMP to kill her, but they came back saying they couldn’t. I only did what they were too weak to do!”

“Ah, yes. That little venture Blitzo is testing out.” The king muttered seemingly to himself. Lucifer and Alastor kept smiling through it all. “They were right to do so. Miss Dupain-Cheng here has a pure soul and is heaven bound. Her death at the hands of a demon would have brought undue attention to my realm and I really don’t want to spark a war at this time.”

The once brunette snarled in unyielding rage. “She’s not pure! She’s a fucking stalker! That cunt has Adrien’s schedule up in her room so she can better track him!”

She flinched, not knowing how Lila had discovered that tidbit about her but ashamed all the same. “I did. Once. I won’t deny it. I had fallen in love… well, not love. More obsession really. I became obsessed with Adrien and fancied myself in love with him. It was my first time feeling anything like that before and the emotions were overwhelming. Almost like a drug. When Adrien and Kagami started dating and testing the waters between them, I realized just how low I had sunk. I took down all of his pictures and magazine cutouts, changed my computer wallpaper, and cleaned off my monthly board. I was so disappointed in myself for letting my emotions affect me so greatly. I vowed to lay my feelings to rest and never let them consume me in such a manner again.”

A gentle hand patted her head. Alastor doted over her with a happy, too sharp grin. “And this is why you’re pure! You acknowledged what you did was wrong with true regret and took steps to rectify it so it wouldn’t happen again. That’s what separates you from the masses!”

“Indeed.” Lucifer softly uttered, so quiet that he hardly heard him. He turned his slitted, pale yellow eyes to his prisoner once again. “With Miss Dupain-Cheng’s account and Alastor’s witness and your outburst, this seems pretty cut-and-dry. I’ll need some time to really look over your case and think of a proper punishment. Until then, I will leave you in the capable hands of Alastor until such time as I am prepared to pass your final judgement.”

Lila had begun shivering, panic flashing in her eyes when he stated that she was to remain with Alastor. Words came pouring from her mouth as she rushed to beg for mercy. “Please! I’ll do anything! Please don’t leave me with him! Please!”

His grin of reply was so twisted and malicious that Marinette felt her chest seize with terror and was infinitely glad that she was not the subject of his ire. “Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your detainment in my dungeon?”

“Yes! Oh, god please yes.” Tears were brimming in Lila’s green eyes and the sight threw her. Marinette had never seen Lila cry real tears before. Fake ones, sure, but these were real tears born of true dread. She almost wanted to pity her for surely a night in the King of Hell’s dungeon would not be pleasant, but she had been taken from her home forcefully and dragged into a realm she didn’t belong. She didn’t even have Tikki’s comforting presence to battle her fear at being trapped in Hell for the rest of her life. Marinette had never felt so alone, and Lila was the cause. Not to mention Paris was left without Ladybug until Marinette could find a way back home. Without even knowing it, Lila may have just doomed Paris out of petty spite.

The light seemed to fade as the King's power surged in the room and his lips stretched into an impossibly wide smile. "I suppose I can grant this one request." He raised his right hand, the other holding an apple headed cane, and snapped his fingers. 

Like that, everything was back to normal. The lamps lit the red room, Lucifer and Alastor were grinning, but Lila was gone. It was discombobulating knowing that she'd been there only seconds ago although there was not a single sign of her presence. 

Lucifer tossed his cane up and caught it with a graceful flair. "I'm off, then. It seems I have a bit of reading to do." He nodded his head towards Alastor. "Thank you for reporting this grievous crime and catching the perpetrator."

The horned demon bowed deeply in return. "It was a pleasure, your Majesty."

Those eyes that had been filled with malevolent rapture moments ago were placid and calm as they fixed on me. "I must ask you to remain inside the hotel while you reside in my kingdom. Alastor and my daughter will watch over you until we find a way to return you to the mortal realm."

Even if she had anywhere to go, the toxic air was already making her tired. Marinette bowed at the waist and conceded anyway. "Yes, your Majesty."

His lips twitched, a sparkle of mirth in his pale yellow eyes. "Keep heart, little Ladybug. You'll be home soon."

Marinette wondered if Lucifer's exit out the door was necessary or if it was purely for her benefit. He has made Lila vanish with a snap of his fingers after all. Who said he couldn’t do the same himself? It was humbling to stand before such power. She could do so much as Ladybug, but these demons were so much more. 

"Well, my dear, I’m sure you must be rather peckish!" Marinette's head spun at the sudden clap from the other occupant of the room. "How about we head downstairs and whip up some jambalaya?"

Marinette was a little hungry, though she had never heard of that dish before. "What is jambalaya? I’ve never had it before."

Alastor talked their way down the hall and a flight of stairs, leading her this way and that until they reached the lobby. She didn't remember seeing it, but she found she rather liked it. Several portraits of what she assumed to be important demons were placed all along the walls. There was an antiquated feel to all the furniture and decor that held a Gothic charm. She noticed an apple theme in the room, seeing the shapes in the rugs, wallpaper, and stained glass windows. Perhaps alluding to that biblical story is Adam and Eve? Or maybe he adopted it for it's symbology of knowledge, death, and luxury. 

Movement from the corner of her eye made all thought disappear as she turned to observe the new face. The demon, a female if the poodle skirt and bob cut was anything to go by, was short. Really short. Came up just past Marinette’s hips short. She had red hair with a single streak of yellow, pale yellow skin, spindly limbs, and a single, giant eye with a bright yellow iris and a sclera that had a yellow-red ombre. She was holding a feather duster and mumbling to herself as she dusted the front desk. 

Alastor cleared his throat and prodded gently, "Nifty. We have a guest."

Her head did a 180 turn that made Marinette’s neck cringe. She was stone still as she took the blunette in, a distant look in her eye, for a second too long. It was starting to feel threatening when she dropped the crazy stare and bounced around in excitement. "Oh my goodness! A guest! A human guest!"

She was at Marinette's side in a second, twirling around her legs and fretting over her pajamas. Alastor grabbed her by the back of her dress and held her to eye level. "Nifty, this is Mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette, this is our lovely and attentive housekeeper, Nifty."

The bluenette giggled and waved at Nifty's enthusiastic greeting. A groan drew their attention to what looked like a bar. A brown and white furred, red winged cat demon rose from behind the bar and slumped over the top. Card symbols decorated his wings. His exaggerated eyebrows were the same color as the feathers and he had little black hearts just over the beginning of his eyebrows on his white face. The insides of his ears were white with light pink stripes. 

"Cute." It slipped out without her meaning to say it, but it was how she felt. The cat demon opened black and orange eyes that narrowed on her form. "Cuuuuuute."

"The fuck did you say about me?" His voice was deep and raspy like he had been smoking a pack of cigarettes everyday for the past fifty years. 

Alastor slinked over to the bar and placed a hand in the demon's head. "This fine fellow right here is Husker. Don't let his surly disposition fool you for a second! He is as loyal as they come!"

Husker was growling by the time Alastor had finished his introduction. "Fuck off! Who the fuck is this, huh? Why is there a glowing human in the hotel? What in the fuck are you tryin' to pull?!"

Charlie came bursting out of an office door with a white haired, gray skinned she-demon behind her. "Calm down, Husk! This is Marinette. A demon dragged her here. Until my dad finds a way to send her back, she will be staying in the hotel."

Husker, or Husk, stopped bristling and finally acknowledged the girl. “Hi.”

Marinette smiled brightly and waved. He lifted his own hand, long white claws extended from a broad paw with a yellow heart in the center. “Cuuuuuuute!”

Husk hissed in irritation as everyone else chuckled at such a response. Charlie gestures to the demoness beside her. “Marinette, this is Vaggie. She’s basically my anchor to reality and my cheerleader. Vaggie, this is the human I was telling you about.”

The white haired demoness didn’t appear nearly as ecstatic as Charlie. As uneasy as she was, she extended a hand and friendly smile. "Nice to meet you. Let me know if you need anything or if anyone is bothering you."

Marinette shook her cool hand with a grin of her own. "I hope I'm not a burden on you all. I feel like a leech for staying for free in your hotel. If there's anything I can do..."

"Don't say another word! It's not your fault that you're here and it is my pleasure to help you." Charlie's enthusiasm both brightened Marinette and made her feel worse. 

Husk harrumphed around the lip of a booze bottle. "Don't get too attached. She'll be dead in a few hours if you don't get her to the surface soon."

"She's a Wielder of the Creation Miraculous. The earrings will protect her for at least a month without being able to transform." Charlie's broad smile shrunk as she addressed Alastor. "What's the verdict? What did my dad say?"

The others talked in the background, asking each other just what the hell a Miraculous was, while the Radio Demon summarized their brief meeting with the King of Hell. “He understands the situation, but he has a bit more investigating to do. A trial will be held later this or next week to determine Lila’s punishment.”

Charlie inhaled through her nose and patted Marinette’s head. “Hopefully you’ll be home before then.”


	8. Suffer in Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki and the Kwamis share the history of their creation and a little too much about Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying my hand at creating and Miraculous lore. :3

Constantine wasn't the only one glaring at Dick. Nightwing had alerted the rest of the League about the situation and many had returned out of curiosity. Others actually had some class and remained in the area of their mission, instead calling via hologram. This whole thing was becoming a ruddy circus with the attention it was drawing though he supposed he knew why. Two simple jewelry pieces had the ability to completely sway the balance of the universe, and the person wearing one was stolen into the Underworld. A child of seventeen. There were many questions and not a lot of time.

Green Arrow and Black Canary's holograms twitched and fizzled. "So what are we looking at exactly? Nightwing said it was something like a fairy."

Dick slid down into his seat under Batman's stern scowl. Diana took the most offense, puffing out her chest in aggravation. "Tikki is a Kwami, a concept given physical form and practically a god. You will show her and her ilk respect."

Barbara's image flickered as she leaned closer to the screen in her end. Being restricted to a wheelchair kept her safely tucked away at Wayne Manor to better hack the world from Batsy’s supercomputer. "I don't see anything."

"Tikki is inside the Miracle Box resting. She said she's been maintaining the Balance by herself, whatever that means, and protecting the Box." Hal was tapping the table impatiently much to Robin's irritation.

As if summoned by the sound of her name, Tikki phased through the dark spot on top of the Box. She was accompanied by an orange Kwami that strongly resembled a fox, a green one that looked like a cartoon turtle, and the biggest honey bee Constantine had ever seen. The Kwami of Creation still looked weary and ready to fall from the air at any second. "I am Tikki, the Force behind Creation and Luck. I come seeking aid for my human incarnate who was ripped from my side unjustly. With me is Trixx of Illusion, Pollen of Subjugation, and Wyazz of Protection. Do you all so solemnly swear to keep the secrets of the Miraculous and its Guardian amongst yourselves and return my human embodiment to this realm?"

Those present looked among each other in apprehension, the holograms in confusion. Tikki was staring dead on at Wonder Woman in expectation. The Amazonian rose from her seat after a moment of contemplation and replied. "We freely offer our aid to the Kwamis in any way they may need."

Three of the entities seemed to relax though the green one wore a frown of displeasure. Starfire's likeness flickered as her head tilted to and fro. "Who are you talking to? I don't see anyone."

Her husband pointed at the tiny Fox. "They're right here. How can you not see them?"

"We can not be recorded." Tikki said with a sad smile. "It is a failsafe that keeps our existence and the identities of our Holders a secret. Is it absolutely necessary for those not present to have a say?"

Diana nodded, "We are a team. All voices matter."

The Bee floated the Miracle Box at the Ladybug’s nod. She… at least John thought it was a she… disappeared through the peak of the egg and returned a moment later with a horse like Kwami with a dark gray body and white hair and patches. This one had a haughty air as it gazed around the table’s occupants in judgement. It gave a firm shake of its head. In the next moment, several blue ringed portals opened in the air and out fell the missing members of the Justice League. Raven and Starfire managed to catch themselves with their ability to hover, but Hawkgirl caused quite a stir with her wings and ended up knocking Hal out of his seat. Barbara, however, rolled out of her portal wearing a look of wonder.

Todd in his Red Hood ensemble squawked after having landed on his face. “What the fuckin’ shit?!”

“Language.” Diana reprimanded the man and turned to the Kwami’s with a smile. “Thank you for retrieving our companions.”

“A necessary evil, I’m sure. Now where do you keep the sugar cubes? I need to replenish my energy.” Kaalki admired her hoof… hands… pads…. Flash zapped out of the room and returned a second later with a bag of the sugar cubes kept in the kitchen for coffee and tea. Constantine watched in fascination as the tiny Horse popped several of them into its mouth and yet its body showed no signs of change in size or mass. 

Starfire, just as Nightwing had predicted, gushed over the tiny creatures. She cupped the Bee in her hands with the biggest smile on her face. “Oh, how marvelous! They are so adorable! Such small forms that radiate so much power.”

A giggle erupted from the Bee. “Such praise coming from a Tamaranean princess.”

Green eyes widened with joy. John himself was surprised that the alien could be identified so easily by one who had never seen her. “You know me?”

It was the Fox that replied. “Of course we know. We may not have had physical forms in that time, but we were around before this solar system was even born. Tamarean was created before Earth so of course we know about that planet.”

Many heads shot up to gawk at the seemingly innocuous entities hovering in midair. Diana showed no outward sign of surprise and settled into her seat. “Now let’s get started. Time is wasting.”

“Wait wait!” Todd sat up on the table, across from Wonder Woman, and bent to better look at the now five Kwamis. “What is a Kwami. Dick said something about them being miraculous, but what does it have to do with a missing girl?”

Tikki nodded at the Fox. The orange and white, purple eyed Kwami flew a little higher into the air, weaving circles leaving orange mist in its wake. The smoke took shape into the Miracle Box. Not wooden but red with black spots. The spots opened, little compartments jutting out to reveal nineteen various jewelry pieces. A pair of earrings and a ring shared the compartment at the top, probably signifying their equal importance. 

“In the beginning, we were but mere concepts.” Despite its feminine appearance, the Fox had a distinctly masculine voice though still high pitched. The illusion changed to show demons stalking the earth and attacking people in primitive clothing. “There was a time when all manner of creatures preyed upon humanity. Mages, those who studied the ways of majick, banded together and decided that they would summon forth gods to aid them in their fight against the forces of darkness. Unfortunately, someone became too eager to make a name for himself.”

The illusion changed again, depicting a young asian man wearing a blue robe. “Fan was the youngest of seventeen children, five of them accomplished mages. He was well on his way to becoming a wonderful spell crafter, and he thought he had it figured out. When he first cast the personification spell, he failed to be specific in who he was calling forth. We all heard him, but it was Kokui who answered his call.”

An apparition of a shark shaped cloud mass appeared and swallowed the boy whole.

“Kokui is the concept of gluttony and hunger. He began to devour all in his path until a mage was able to trap him though Kokui began to erode at the ward.” The mirage changed to a group of robed figures in a circle. “The mages managed to complete the spell and successfully summoned and bound those of us that wished to offer our aid to humanity to the Miraculous. We merged with the wearers who used our powers fight Kokui and the dark forces.”

The illusion changed completely and the nineteen Miraculous returned but with ethereal chains all connected to a condensed but writhing black mass. “We combined our knowledge and power with the mages to imprison Kokui in a pocket dimension using the Miraculous as anchors binding the seals in place. Other Miraculous were made to ease the burden.” Six other Boxes took shape from the orange mist, all of various shapes and colors. Constantine recognized the distinctive ring of the twelve zodiac signs on one Box although there seemed to be an extra symbol added; a capital ‘U’ intersected with a wavy dash running through the prongs of the letter. He recalled the symbol of the thirteenth zodiac, a sign that had been forgotten long ago. 

Superman pointed at the mirage. “I see! So long as the Miraculous remain intact, the Kwami of gluttony remains locked away.”

Trixx flashed a bright smile. “That’s right! So I wouldn’t go breaking our Miraculous, yeah? And it's why Tikki needs to be reunited with Marinette soon. None of us have ever been separated from our Miraculous by an entire universe and the impact of a Holder dying is brutal enough. Tikki and Marinette are intertwined for so long. I don’t know what would happen to Tikki or the Miraculous if Marinette to get hurt.”

“Ah, Marinette. That reminds me;” Constantine sat up and fiddled with his lighter. “Marinette is seventeen, correct?”

Tikki nodded in affirmation without speaking a word. 

The lighter ignited and created a flame only for John to snuff it out with the lid. “Ladybug has been protecting Paris from some creep that goes by Hawkmoth for four years since August. I’m no mathematician, but I can handle simple subtraction. Tell me, what half witted jackass thought it was a good idea to give a thirteen year old girl a magical relic to fight against a villain by herself?”

Wyazz grunted in a most offended manner. “The Guardian had only just discovered the location of the Butterfly Miraculous in Paris and he needed the Ladybug in circulation to counteract the power of the Butterfly. And the Ladybug and Cat are symbiotic, so a Cat had to be selected as well. Master… the previous Guardian had to act quickly. He issued a test of courage and Marinette was the one who answered the call.”

“A thirteen year old girl was the best he could do?” Constantine asked in a mocking tone. Anger for the girl simmered in his blood as he thought of how she had been thrust into a life of heroism by… what did she do? “Just what in the hell was the test?”

The Turtle was glaring daggers at him. “He placed himself in a perilous position to see if anyone would act to help him.”

Drake, who had probably spent all night reading up on the girl, narrowed his eyes on the Wyazz. “What did this test entail exactly?”

“Putting himself in the middle of a road.” At least Tikki looked irritated at the memory. 

Robin scoffed, his fist coming down on the table with a loud thump. “A single act of stupidity in rescuing another does not a hero make. What if she had only stepped in to make herself look better?”

Tikki emitted a growl that surprised John and snapped at Damian. “Marinette is a wonderful and kind young lady who has become one of the best Ladybugs I’ve had since my formation. You will refrain from insulting her or I shall become very cross.” 

“If it makes you feel any better, she tried to give up the earrings because she thought she wasn’t Ladybug material.” Trixx tapped his chin with his tiny nubs. "Could be because she forgot to purify the Akuma which proceeded to multiply and made like dozens of Stonehearts, but she straightened it out."

A wave of unyielding, unreasoning fury swept through the room from Batman. Heads tilted down, eyes averted, as the normally stoic and controlled man's ire was provoked. His deep voice was ice cold and slow. "This Guardian gave a magical relic capable of affecting the very balance of the universe to a teenager without giving her any kind of training and then sent her off to battle without any warning?"

"The Butterfly was active and Master Fu needed a Ladybug. She was the best choice." Wyazz leapt to the last Guardian's defense, but it was in Constantine's opinion to be the absolute worst thing he could have done. John himself was pissed at the responsibility placed on the girl's shoulders and now knowing that they didn't bother to give her training had him wanting to rage at this Fu for his stupidity. Batsy was of the same mind.

"What kind of idiot shoves a powered relic at a defenseless girl and tells her to go be a hero?" Batman didn't get any louder, but he voice certainly became more forceful. Even Superman inched away though he himself looked agitated and concerned. 

Tikki's voice was soft and sleepy. "Marinette was meant to wear my earrings, for she is a True Ladybug. So long as she lives, my earrings will always find their way back to her."

"So she never had a choice. That's comforting." Batman pushed away from the table and stormed out of the room.

Nightwing tapped away impatiently. "He's right. It's unfair to place such a responsibility on someone so young. You sent her to the front lines without so much as good luck and fuck you."

Pollen buzzed like an actual bee. "To be fair, Marinette stepped up and has done a wonderful job protecting Paris from Hawkmoth and his Akumas."

"Yeah, because there was no other option!" Dick retaliated in a waspish manner that was rare for the upbeat man. "Batman trained us hard for months and only let us onto the field when he felt we were ready, and only under direct supervision. From what I'm understanding, you burdened an untrained, run-of-the-mill school girl with the life of heroism with absolutely no mentor besides an ancient Kwami to guide her."

Batman returned and settled back into his seat at the head of the table with Diana and Clark. Constantine leaned over the table to better look at the tiny Gods. “Too much is unclear. I want to know why she was chosen. I want to know why a teenage girl was picked off the street to protect a city. I want to know how this Butterfly Miraculous wound up in a villain’s hands. I want to know everything.”

Wyazz squawked in indignation. He zipped over to the Ladybug like a bat out of hell. “Tikki, this is most improper! We cannot disrespect the Guardian in such a manner! She has a right to her privacy and secrets.”

“We’re not sharing her inner thoughts or anything, Wyazz. They’re just asking for a history lesson.” Trixx sighed in exasperation. 

Wyazz narrowed his eyes on the Fox. “That matters very little and you know it! We should be asking the Guardian’s permission before divulging…”

“Marinette isn’t here.” Tikki reminded him sharply. “She was kidnapped and taken to Hell by a girl that tormented her in life and now does the same in death. Kaalki cannot create a portal between dimensions. They are her only hope.”


	9. Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette in the kitchen with a strange new demon and recounting her time with Lila.

“Who are you?”

Marinette yelped in pain when her head bumped into the ledge of the counter. She turned around, rubbing the back of her head to soothe the ache, and saw a demon standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was covered in white fur with pink markings. His irises were pink though his left sclera was black. The suit caught her eye for its tailored fitting and unique and fashionable. 

His mismatched eyes widened as he caught an eyeful. "Holy shit, you're a human."

She blushed under his gaze. "Uh…. Last time I checked."

The stranger chuckled in disbelief. He padded silently into the room and examined the assortment of baking tools and ingredients in the island counter. "Whatcha making?"

"Uh… macarons. Maybe cannolis. Comfort food." She was still hesitant to make sudden moves. Marinette wasn't fond of spiders and this was a strange demon. Alastor had warned her to be wary of strangers in Hell, and she didn't know who was in the Hazbin kitchen. "I'm Marinette."

He crept closer. "Angel Dust."

The silence that hung between then was thick and awkward. Marinette closed the counter door and set the bowls on the island. He hadn't moved to attack and she was starting to feel antsy. "Do you… wanna help?"

He pursed his lips, looking between Marinette and the baking supplies. "Sure, why not?"

They set up silently together. As the dough was formed, Marinette learned that extra limbs made a huge difference in productivity. She found herself becoming jealous over how efficiently Angel Dust produced a serviceable dough mix for macaron biscuits. Even pouring them onto a baking sheet was faster with the extra hands as Marinette finished up the filling. She helped to clean up the mixing mess as the macaron dough was left to set. She felt the need to break the silence. "So do you work at the hotel, too."

He barked a laugh. "No. Charlie offered me a piece to crash if I consented to being her guinea pig."

She froze in shock at such an offhand comment. Charlie had seemed so nice and accommodating. What could she possibly need a test subject for, and why would he agree we readily?

Angel Dust laughed again and patted her blue-black hair. "Relax, Bluebell. It just means she's testing out her theory on rehabilitating demons and making them good enough to ascend to the pearly gates. Not that she's had much luck as I'm still here."

Marinette paused to chew on that statement, glad that the princess wasn't harming this seemingly nice spider demon. Rehabilitating a lost human soul didn't so far fetched as his dismissive time suggested. It made sense in Marinette's mind. She didn't really attend church though her father's side of the family claimed Catholic, but she was sure that seeking redemption shouldn't be impossible. The hardest part was acknowledging the wrong you committed and forgiving yourself for being human. At least that's what she did when she realized how creepy her obsession with Adrien had been. "Well, how long have you been here?"

"Does it matter?" Angel swirled the vanilla filling with the spatula with a pensive glaze in his eyes. "So long as I play by their rules, I get to crash in a snazzy hotel for free."

She wiped at a smudge in the counter and avoided his gaze. "No wonder it's not working. It sounds as if you're not trying to redeem yourself. She can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped. Believe me, I know from personal experience."

"You're still a baby. What could possibly know about redemption?" She turned her head to look up at guarded glare. Marinette couldn't read him like she could people, and those were skills she was still developing. 

With a heavy sigh, Marinette relived her greatest sorrow. "I grew up being bullied by this girl in my class. She was the daughter of the mayor and knew how to use her power to intimidate. The first time I stood up to her she threatened to have my mom deported. I learned later that she couldn't just do that on a whim, but by then I had been conditioned to keep my head down and just take the abuse. It's not like anyone ever defended me as they were scared of her and no one wanted to be associated with Chloe's main target. I learned to live without friends. 

"Then came tenth year and this girl transferred into my class. She was fiery and headstrong and so confident in herself. She told me that the only thing evil needs to triumph is that good people do nothing. She encouraged me to stand up to Chloe again, so I did. And she backed down. Only a little, but she pulled away first. Alya and I became best friends. She was there to encourage me and cheer me on as I took my first step into the world of professional fashion, and was by my side with her schemes to set me up with the boy I liked a little too much. She's the reason I became class president the reason I'm where I am today. I would still be curled up in the back too scared to look to the future if it hadn't been for Alya."

Marinette's form tensed in distaste as she recalled where it all went wrong. "Then… Then Lila showed up. Lila Rossi was the daughter of an Italian diplomat, or so she claimed. She waltzed into my school with lies on her lips on malice in her selfish, narcissistic heart. She spun the wildest stories that anyone with two brain cells to rub together would have realized were undeniably false. Not only did her lies lack any facts, but they outright contradicted each other. She actually skipped school for two months claiming she was in Achu with Prince Ali, another lie as he was in America at the time. She came back with a vengeance and a vendetta.

"Her first day back and everyone had to move seats because she said she had gotten tinnitus rescuing Jagged Stone's kitten from being run over by an airplane." Angel choked on his very breath at the absurdity of such a statement. "I know, right? And my classmates and teacher fell for it!"

The demon thumped his fluffy chest with a fist. "All offense meant; you're classmates are dumb as shit and your teacher should be sacked."

She laughed for the first time when thinking about Lila and it felt so good to have a conversation with someone that recognized her lies for what they were off the bat. "It gets so much worse! She went on to claim that she had arthritis in her right wrist only for it to jump to the left when I tossed a balled up napkin at her to prove she could catch it just fine. As soon as I said something, she started whining about how she had saved Max from having his eye gouged out by the napkin. My classmates rolled with it as if it were gospel from the mouth of the messiah."

Angel gawked in disbelief. "You lie! No one could possibly be that stupid! A napkin gouging an eye out?"

Marinette nodded, "And Max wears glasses."

She watched as her companion slumped against the counter. "Fuckin' shit."

Marinette went on to describe Lila's other outlandish lies and how she had been expelled for a day thanks to Lila's manipulations though Lila had revoked her accusations for some reason. She choked up as she repeated Adrien's request and reasoning that convinced her to leave Lila to her lies. "Keep it to ourselves, he said. ‘It’s not like anyone is getting hurt’. That was hands down the biggest mistake I had ever made, and all because it was a boy I liked that asked me."

"Don't beat yourself up, kid. I've done way dumber shit for guys I liked. Kinda how I ended up down here." Angel skimmed a taloned finger over the dough and popped the tray in the oven. “As for this Adrien kid, he’s not worth your time. You admired him and he abused that even if he was unaware that he did.”

Remembering that time always made her heart hurt. Even now, the muscle was cramping in her chest. “He said that so long as we knew she was lying that it would be okay. He promised he’d be there for me, but he wasn’t. Not when she talked bad about me or spread rumors, nor did he warn me that they were planning on destroying my art project until after they ruined it on the day it was due. I only passed because Monsieur Garcon saw it and I submitted pictures with the essay, after I had to prove I wasn’t the one who destroyed it in the first place. I should’ve learned my lesson after she framed me for theft.”

Angel turned Marinette around to face him with a gentle hand. “Now hang on, let me see if I got this straight. You’re saying that this Liar bitch convinced your classmates to sabotage your graded project in front of this Adrien dick who didn’t bother to warn you, and then the bitch tried to pin its destruction on you? And you had to prove you couldn’t have done it? Are you fuckin’ shittin’ me right now? What kinda hodunk, backwards cesspit school do you attend? Are the walls insulated with weed? Is it mandatory for the faculty to sniff markers or some shit?! And this Adrien dick! If I get my hands on him, I’ll beat the fear of divine retribution into him and ask him why the fuck he’s getting offended because ‘it’s not like anyone is getting hurt’!” 

The way his voice changed to mock Adrien’s pasifistic phrasing almost made her laugh. Almost. Despite the length of time since that particular incident, the wounds of the betrayal still hurt. “Please don’t judge him too harshly. I understand why he took the stance he did at the time. After all, his father is a huge fashion mogul and he kind of grew up as the face of his father’s company. He’s been dealing with tabloids all his life, and the way you deal with tabloids is simply by ignoring them. He had no idea just how dangerous someone like Lila could be because he wasn’t the one being affected by her lies. Like a tabloid, she attacked my character and reputation and he thought it was the same thing. He couldn’t understand that her slander could have easily gotten me kicked out of school and investigated for things like theft and even assault, things that could ruin my career and reputation before I even went to University. Sure, there isn't any evidence to back it up and I would have been proven innocent, but my reputation took a blow just for the accusation and he believed it was the same as a tabloid story."

The demon shook his fluffy head. "No excuse. He was close to you, supposedly, and he saw how it was hurting you. He should've stepped up instead of being a little spineless pussy dick shit."

"That would've been nice." Marinette drooped over her folded arms on the counter. She's felt so wrung out and stressed from all the crap life had thrown at her since she was thirteen. A magical terrorist, a Miraculous, a flirty partner, a liar, and a growing fashion brand. The last one sounded fantastic, and it is, but it took up a lot of her time. Marinette knew she should put off her career until Hawkmoth and Mayura were brought to justice, but who knew how long that would take. The fashion world was highly competitive and it was best to take advantage of the opportunities she had now rather than put it off. “It’s just… he was the only person that believed me. I mean my parents are always there for me, but they were quick to jump on the bandwagon without even asking for my side of the story. I thought they were my friends. I’ve shared a class with these people for years. I know some of them since we were in diapers! How could they have just… turned on me like that? Lila made some pretty big promises, but it’s not like I never did anything to help them achieve their dreams! Once I started standing up to Chloe we all got a lot closer. They made me class president, and in thanks I tried to meet all their demands for the things they needed and wanted for their respective interests and clubs. I gladly spent hours making banners and posters for their events. Why did they all forget that the second Lila accused me of theft?”

Her voice had gone from low and melancholy to watery as her emotions she suppressed for the good of Paris overwhelmed her. She cried into her folded arms, hunched over the counter and muttering ‘why?’ over and over again under her breath. Not once during the whole Lila scandal did Marinette ever break down and cry. How could she when Hawkmoth was waiting to take advantage of her pain and sorrow. She was Ladybug, heroine of Paris and Keeper of Creation. Here in Hell, however, she was just Marinette Dupain-Cheng: a pure soul taken from the Surface and under the protection of some of the most powerful figures in the realm. Marinette was able to finally, finally, face the betrayal and hardships she had faced thanks to Lila’s manipulation and all the emotions that she had suppressed for years. Everything came pouring out, from her fear of not being good enough to protect her city, her inability to find Hawkmoth, and the agony of seeing those she called friends look at her with disappointment and suspicion. When it all seemed to be too much for her dainty shoulders to bear, Angel Dust was there to pat and rub her back. He had no words of comfort to share, but his touch was more than enough to satisfy the touchy young lady. 

As her tears stopped flowing, the spider demon offered solace in the best way he could. “Look at it this way: now you know who you can trust and who to keep at arm's length. In the scheme of things, you came out pretty okay. You’re not in jail, you got no criminal record, and ya reputation glitters like gold. True you may have lost most of your social circle, but it’s not like they were worth the trouble anyway. Sounds to me like they were using you anyway.”

Marinette jumped back in offense. “No! They’re not like that at all! They never used me!”

He snorted, “Sorry to break it to ya, toots. Those guys you called friends used you. They used you as a shield against some bitch bully but left you high and dry when she targeted you. You were happy to craft things for them in the name of friendship and they happily accepted without compensating you. Then when some bitch comes along with pretty promises and a fast pass to the careers of their dreams, they dropped you like yesterday’s news. What use were you when this new girl had connections that could make them famous? Why put in the work with your help when they can use Lila? Face it, gumdrop. Your classmates used you until they met someone with better prospects. Now that Lila’s been outed as a liar and they no longer have her “connections” to fall back on, they flocked back to you with empty apologies just so that they could use you and your talent to get what they wanted. I’d bet my whole wardrobe that they would do it all over again if another kid came along with “connections” to fame and fortune.”

Marinette’s frame shook with fury and distress. “That’s not true.” Her soft, wavering voice belied the conviction of the phrase. As much as she wanted to believe in her friends and peers, their actions had cut her deeply. The memory of her handmade, hand embroidered shawl that depicted symbols of her family tree all torn to shreds surged to the forefront of her mental theater and made her eyes burn all the more. Being called into the office, having to call in her parents and teachers to confirm her whereabouts throughout the day, the silence of her friends when asked if they knew anything about my destroyed art project. How Adrien approached her at the end of the day to tell her that it was Alya, Kim, and Sabrina that had vandalized her project at Lila’s behest just before he escaped to his waiting car to avoid an emotional outburst.

“You still got an A, Marinette. Just give them time. They’ll snap out of it.”

Only it wasn’t just about the shawl. It was about the blatant attack on Marinette as a designer and a student. M. Garcon knew her and defended her valiantly against the accusation of destroying it herself for a deadline extension, pointing out that the shawl was completed a day before the due date and was well within the timeframe of submission. Her friends, her best friend, had ripped apart a labor of love that would have been gifted to her mother after grading had concluded out of some warped sense of justice for an assault that never happened. Tearing up a graded project was one thing, but then trying to pin it’s destruction on her was an attack on her reputation as a student of Francois Dupont. Her classmates then protected each other, no one so much as breathing a word of the true culprits behind the decimated shawl. Lila had been sure to smile most smugly at her. Alya, Kim, and Sabrina didn’t look at her at all. And Adrien knew the entire time what they had been planning to do, because he was right there beside them as Alya planned it. All of the class heard it. They just didn’t want to get involved. They knew Marinette would have certainly stepped up if she had heard talk of such an act, but they weren’t Marinette. Isn’t that what Bustier always told her?

The oven trilled an alarm. The biscuits were done baking.

Angel slipped on a cutesy pig mitten and opened the oven door. “We still makin’ cannolis or what?”

She would rather be in the presence of this feminine spider demon than alone in the red room that looked nothing like her own at home.


	10. Scheme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constantine is pissed but determined to rescue the Ladybug. Tikki informs of a way around the toxic air of central Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. All my pre-written chapters have run out. Now I'm flying by the seat of my pants again. :3

John wanted to beat someone. The joke of a principal that would expel a girl without reviewing all the evidence. The shit teacher that gaslighted the victims of coddled bullies. The bitch kids that were stupid enough to fall for such obvious bullshit stories. The twat that posted those lies on her publicly recognized blog without fact checking and daring to call herself a journalist. The little idiot that enabled the liar to spread her poison. Marinette for taking all of the bullshit life threw at her without speaking out against her abuse. His own head against the table until he unlearned all of this bullshit. It didn't matter so long as he got to hit someone. 

"Props to her for having the patience of a saint. I would not have lasted as long as she did." Jason sighed and leaned back in his chair. "That bitch would've been eating dirt."

Cyborg dropped a manilla file on the table stuffed with paper. "Story checks out. Lila No Name was found guilty for a whole lotta shit in a posthumous trial. Her mother disinherited her after the trial and returned to Italy, and for good reason. She confirmed her daughter's hand writing on a slew of threatening notes though most came from her own classmates. Le'me tell you that some of this shit is just disgusting."

Zatanna tapped her fingers along the table top. “So we now know about the villain that has been flying under our radar for so long. How do we handle the Hawkmoth situation without becoming his victims ourselves?”

Barbara shook her head. “What can we do? Even if you all avoided being Hawkmoth’s puppet, the damage most of you all inflict on the environment during a fight would leave Paris in ruins. Also, we don’t want to tip off Hawkmoth that Ladybug is MIA. The best thing to do right now is retrieve Marinette from the Pit.”

Constantine rolled his shoulders. He could feel the headache growing in his frontal lobe and he dearly needed a drink. “Well I can’t just stroll into Hell, grab her, and waltz back out. She could be anywhere in a city nearly the size of the Big Apple. It could take days to locate her if bloodthirsty demons left me the fuck alone.”

“Those shades said that Lucifer wanted the girl out of Hell. Don’t you think that he’d send someone to help you?” Zatanna recalled as she nibbled on her gummy bears. 

Kaalki, that little Horse God, floated closer to Constantine. “There is also the matter of the toxic air and the Destruction reigning unchecked in this realm.”

The british man snorted in agreement before slamming his head on the table top. “One thing after another, isn’t it? At least with this book I can open a portal straight into Hell’s capitol. Finding the lass is going to be more troublesome though. Knowing Alastor, that sly prick has probably stashed her somewhere for safe keeping.”

Beast Boy raised a finger. “Doesn’t he want her out of Hell as much as we do?”

He snorted in response. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he won’t play his demented little games first. He’s a mortal soul that gouged out his own place at the top of the hierarchy in Hell. Alastor is not someone ye take lightly.”

Tikki tiredly hovered low near the table’s surface. “A human he might test, so perhaps you will need something to level the field.”

Gasping in horror, the little turtle being gawked at his fellow God. “You can’t be serious.”

“I think it’s a great idea!” Trixx cackled merrily as he twirled and flipped in the air.

The Kwami of Luck and Creation smiled warmly. “Balance must be restored, and you will need something to counteract the toxic air. I believe that whoever goes to rescue Marinette should wear a Miraculous.”

Red Robin poked at the Box and watched it spin. “So what, we just pop this open and grab one?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Pollen quipped from high in the air. “When Marinette became the Guardian, the Box took the form of a complex chinese puzzle box. It could take you weeks to figure out the code.”

“Well how can we wear a Miraculous when we can’t even open the box they’re in?” Red Hood snapped impatiently. 

Tikki grinned at Wyazz only for the Turtle to turn and huff in aggravation. “At the moment, there are four Miraculous in circulation and one is in Hell. The Butterfly and Peacock are in the hands of villains. And lastly, the ring of the Black Cat.”

Pollen giggled most mockingly. “Tikki dear, you really don’t expect us to believe that Chat Noir would give up his Miraculous to strangers, do you? Shall they ask for his bank notes, too? Perhaps the keys to his house?”

Tikki shook her bulbous head and fixed droopy eyes on the Bee Kwami. “Chat Noir adores Marinette. He would do anything to help her.” 

“Hmph. Yes, the boy favors her, so you know he will insist on saving her himself.”

The tiny Horse scoffed in a haughty tone John could feel radiating off of her. “And trust that idiot to wander through a hostile realm in search of his partner whose identity he’s not supposed to know? Allowing these people to use it is the far superior option.”

“Plagg will understand.” Tikki insisted fervently albeit wearily. She looked bone tired. “As will Chat Noir. As far as he’s concerned, they will be saving Marinette from her imprisonment and bringing her home.”

“Plus it will put whoever goes down there on equal footing with the Lords. No one will be foolish enough to mess with a being capable of destroying their entire realm.” Trixx giggled as if talking about a funny joke and not one of the realms crucial in regulating souls of the deceased. “And give Marinette a reason to extend her trust. I’m sure being dragged into THE Hellscape has somewhat tempered her faith in others, and Lila did enough damage already.”

Constantine needed a drink. “Okay, so how do we find Chat Noir and convince him to let us take his ring for a spin?”

Tikki touched the table top. “Trixx can lure him to you. After that, just tell him you’re going to rescue Marinette. He’ll understand. He may insist on doing it himself, but…”

“But he isn’t exactly the most emotionally stable boy in Paris.” Kaalki quipped. At Tikki’s disapproving glare, the Horse merely shrugged her tiny shoulders. “You know I’m right. We all know he’s the brawn to Ladybug’s brains and not in a good way. Don’t think I don’t know about the multiple occasions in which he was neutralized or outright twisted against Ladybug. You thought I wasn’t listening when you were griping about how easily Chat Noir fell for Mayura’s little trick with Senti-bug? Chat Noir is susceptible to the most menial of manipulations that has gotten him compromised on various occasions. If the Miracle Court were still active, he would have been stripped of the Miraculous long ago.”

Superboy, sunshine boy, raised his hand as if he were in class. “If Chat Noir is so untrustworthy, why don’t you just take the Miraculous?”

Pollen heaved an irritated sigh. “It’s not that he isn’t trustworthy, it’s just that he is an impressionable boy with a rose coloured vision of the world. He believes that all humans are capable of being good. What he doesn’t seem to acknowledge is that some humans take pleasure in being bad, Lila being a perfect example. He dismissed her as a threat claiming that all she needed was to be shown that she didn’t need to lie to make friends. Unfortunately, that led to a lot of people being akumatized through her lies, endangering Ladybug’s life, and the breaking of many if not all of Marinette’s friendships. Lila was not a good person. I’m not sad that she’s dead, at her own hand at that, but she did quite a bit of damage to the people around her before her soul parted this world.”

“And Marinette has absolutely no one she can entrust with the Miraculous of the Black Cat, so Chat Noir stays until a suitable replacement can be found.” Kaalki added snidely.

“Kaalki.” Tikki’s voice held a tone of clear warning. The Horse bowed her head.

Constantine rose from his seat. “Fine by me. I’ll go find Cat Boy and persuade the bloke to let me borrow his ring.”

Tikki piped up. “Don’t forget to take Trixx with you, and stay on the outskirts of Paris. I’d hate for you to get in Hawkmoth’s range and succumb to his Akuma.”

Nightwing hopped onto his feet. “I’ll join you! Besides, I’m far more personable.”

“Hm.” Constantine didn’t much care at this point. He just wanted the pure soul out of Hell before something happened to her. “Zatanna, would you mind? I’ve got a bloody headache coming on.”

The magician smirked and created the doorway linking the Justice League Headquarters to Paris. It wasn’t until the portal had already closed when he realized she had tagged along. Her smirk was still in place. “How are you going to get back?”

His head was throbbing and he was still ticked about the tale the Kwami had imparted. “Whatever. Might need a woman’s touch if Dickie boy can’t charm the ring off his finger.”

“Pimping me out, John?” Zatanna asked in a playful manner.

Trixx childishly cooed over the pair. “I smell sexual tension.”

“Me too.” Nightwing cooed in the same tone.

Constantine glared at the Fox. “Just get the brat over here.”

The Fox gave a mocking salute and breathed out a cloud of wispy orange mist. It condensed and took shape and became a striking likeness to Ladybug. The likeness set her hands on her hips and gazed at the three heroes with a determined fire in her blue eyes. “Need help catching a cat?” 

Dick gawked at the mirage. “Wow. This is… kinda spooky. It looks so real.”

Trixx landed on his outstretched hand. “No touchy! My illusions look, sound, even smell dangerously real. So real, in fact, that only touching them will dispel the fantasy.”

Zatanna was looking over the fake Ladybug with interest. “And this will lead Chat Noir right to us?”

The floating Fox smirked. “He’s in love with Ladybug. One crook of her finger will have him bouncing after her like a dog after a bone. It’s kinda one of his easily exploited weaknesses. Almost worked once.”

Constantine held his tongue. One problem at a time. The fake Ladybug threw her yoyo to impossible lengths and dashed off with a distinctive *zing* to announce her presence. Trixx floated in the air above them and kept a keen eye on the mirage. Half an hour slowly passed until finally the Fox exclaimed in a delighted chirp that Chat Noir had taken the bait. It took several minutes more before the trio heard the call of a boy growing closer. Then the mirage landed on the ground with a black clad hero on her tail. He wore what looked to be a leather bodysuit with a small hexagonal pattern on the fabric. Faux cat ears sat on wild blonde hair. Slitted green tinted eyes were bordered by a domino mask of the same material as his suit. A ridiculous golden cat bell sat above his collarbone and a belt encircled his waist, an extra length acting too much like a tail than what was comfortable. Magic.

“M’lady?” He reached out and the illusion burst into a cloud of orange mist. The next second saw Chat Noir in a defensive position wielding a baton that had been shorter when attached to his back. His eyes finally took in the three strangers. “Who are you?”

Nightwing, in full hero garb, put his hands up in mock surrender. “We come in peace. We’re members of the Justice League and we have an odd request to make.”

His head cocked in confusion, much like a cat. He did not lower his baton. “The Justice League? If you’re here about Hawkmoth, Ladybug and I agreed that having any of you here would only make the situation worse. I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

Zatanna, the better looking of the three delegates stepped forward. “It’s not that. Ladybug sent us. It’s about Marinette.”

Like a switch, Chat Noir went from defensive to interested at the mention of Ladybug and imploring at Marinette’s name. “Marinette? Where is she? How can I help? What did Ladybug have to say?”

“Please, hear us out.” Zatanna smiled with all her disarming charm. “Ladybug has been searching for Marinette and she stumbled across us. We found out where Marinette is, but getting her back is more complicated than just grabbing her and running. A freshly dead soul damned to Hell opened a portal here to this realm and kidnapped Marinette to satisfy an old grudge. Thankfully, one of the Overlords found her and is keeping her safe from harm until we can retrieve her.”

“An old grudge…” Chat Noir’s eyes widened then promptly narrowed in hate. “Lila. God, the bitch has been dead for months and she’s still stirring up trouble.”

Nightwing arched an amused brow. “You know her?”

The cat hero hissed. “Who doesn’t? Her name has become a moniker for people who tell outlandish lies for the purpose of making themselves look good or to get out of trouble.”

Nightwing snorted. 

Chat Noir sighed and levied a guarded stare at the intruders. “So what do you need?”

“We need your Miraculous.” Constantine saw no point in beating around the bush. 

Chat Noir blinked. “Come again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting my new job at a Horse Stable tomorrow! Wish me luck! :3

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna check out the source for this little tidbit, check out [The Liar's Sin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25453273)


End file.
